rip apart
phrasal verb
ripped apart; ripping apart; rips apart
1
: to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces
The child ripped the toy apart.
Strong winds had ripped apart many of the little beach bungalows.
—often used figurativelya tragedy/scandal that almost ripped the family apart
2
: to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.
Critics ripped the author's latest novel apart.
an article that rips apart the mayor's plan
Examples of rip apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their lives were ripped apart by a shooting at a political event 13 years earlier in Arizona.
—
Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, 13 July 2024
Engineers are still learning how composites react to the extreme conditions of reentry, where they're exposed to heating to several thousand degrees and aerodynamic forces that can rip apart a spacecraft.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 29 June 2024
That’s exactly what happened in Europe this weekend, when the nose of an Airbus jet was ripped apart by an icy storm.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 June 2024
The demonstrator was carrying multiple signs that ended up getting snatched away and ripped apart by angry Trump supporters.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 May 2024
In Levin park, Parham has photographed the hawks vocalizing, posturing handsomely and in one grisly instance — captured with dramatic, Caravaggio-like shadows — ripping apart a hapless ground squirrel.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 6 July 2024
In Akron, Luca the juvenile Andean condor has spent time pecking at ice between sessions of ripping apart paper, an exercise meant to mimic the bird’s natural behavior of ripping apart carcasses.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 21 June 2024
Her entire world has just been ripped apart and ripped at the seams.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024
Ideologically, Prussia mobilized new forces of German nationalism, ripping apart the conservative foundations of European institutions.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022
Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, 13 July 2024
Engineers are still learning how composites react to the extreme conditions of reentry, where they're exposed to heating to several thousand degrees and aerodynamic forces that can rip apart a spacecraft.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 29 June 2024
That’s exactly what happened in Europe this weekend, when the nose of an Airbus jet was ripped apart by an icy storm.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 June 2024
The demonstrator was carrying multiple signs that ended up getting snatched away and ripped apart by angry Trump supporters.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 30 May 2024
In Levin park, Parham has photographed the hawks vocalizing, posturing handsomely and in one grisly instance — captured with dramatic, Caravaggio-like shadows — ripping apart a hapless ground squirrel.
—John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 6 July 2024
In Akron, Luca the juvenile Andean condor has spent time pecking at ice between sessions of ripping apart paper, an exercise meant to mimic the bird’s natural behavior of ripping apart carcasses.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 21 June 2024
Her entire world has just been ripped apart and ripped at the seams.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024
Ideologically, Prussia mobilized new forces of German nationalism, ripping apart the conservative foundations of European institutions.
—Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rip apart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rip apart
Cite this Entry
“Rip apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip%20apart. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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