take apart
verb
took apart; taken apart; taking apart; takes apart
1
: to disconnect the pieces of (something) : disassemble
take a machine apart
While the giant engines at the Waterworks were being taken apart piece by piece and examined for damage, temporary sources of power were sought.—
Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy2
informal
: to treat (someone or something) roughly or harshly : to tear into
The voice in his head that normally took him apart was cutting him some slack. Every now and then, it actually gave him some credit.—David Corbett
David CorbettExamples of take apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Crystal chandeliers can be difficult to take apart and reassemble, so some people prefer to clean them in place.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Officers then began taking apart the tank, which was not factory standard, and discovered the woman lying in a puddle of gasoline, appearing disoriented and suffering from apparent chemical burns to her legs and feet; she was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, treated and quickly released.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Riders must find the elusive Lego brick separator — used to take apart Lego bricks — and use it to break up the Lego asteroid.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Once school let out for the summer—and as ICE agents stormed immigration courthouses downtown—Rachel and the girls took apart their New York lives.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for take apart
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Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Officers then began taking apart the tank, which was not factory standard, and discovered the woman lying in a puddle of gasoline, appearing disoriented and suffering from apparent chemical burns to her legs and feet; she was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, treated and quickly released.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Riders must find the elusive Lego brick separator — used to take apart Lego bricks — and use it to break up the Lego asteroid.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Once school let out for the summer—and as ICE agents stormed immigration courthouses downtown—Rachel and the girls took apart their New York lives.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for take apart
Cite this Entry
“Take apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20apart. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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