take apart

verb

took apart; taken apart; taking apart; takes apart

transitive verb

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

2

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

Examples of take apart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At that time, the boardwalk was only 1 mile long and 8 feet wide, and it could be taken apart and preserved during the winter. — Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

The two soon stumble back into the cult that created the plague doctor — a cult in which people are killed and resurrected, taken apart and rebuilt. — S.m. Hallow, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026

Construction crews working on a new helipad at the White House have taken apart the massive granite seal that would serve as the new landing spot for Marine One, signaling potential delays in the project. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026

The eminently Instagrammable viral burns of the protesters were deliberate, taking apart and inverting each element of Modi’s political brand. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take apart

• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start
• tart