pull apart
phrasal verb
pulled apart; pulling apart; pulls apart
1
: to be separated into parts or pieces by pulling
The rolls pull apart easily.
2
: to separate or break (something) into parts or pieces
She pulled the rolls apart with her hands.
—sometimes used figurativelyHis gambling problem is pulling the family apart.
3
: to separate (people or animals) in order to stop a fight
Customers stepped in and pulled the two men apart.
Examples of pull apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When the temperature drops again at night, the ice will contract and pull apart.
—
Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Why does my family keep getting pulled apart!
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Families physically pulled apart by uncaring hands over the outraged screams of the bereft?
—Leonard Pitts Jr, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
More lanes may be blocked to pull apart the wreckage.
—Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull apart
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Stephanie Pearson, Outside, 14 Jan. 2026
Why does my family keep getting pulled apart!
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Families physically pulled apart by uncaring hands over the outraged screams of the bereft?
—Leonard Pitts Jr, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
More lanes may be blocked to pull apart the wreckage.
—Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull apart
Cite this Entry
“Pull apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20apart. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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