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
Last Thursday, city crews took one of two transformers offline to rebuild it, much like a car engine that is taken apart and put back together, Gannon said.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
Most commercial adhesives are made to stay permanently set once bonded, so electronics or other goods that are assembled using them are quite difficult to take apart for recycling.
—New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
Experts wondered why any leader would take apart a perfectly good security wall in an area that was constantly threatened by invasion.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
As Taubman sees it, Briah Artemis is a platform to dismantle Western ideals — her debut collection took on beauty (hence the pageant dress) and here she’s taken apart the American dream.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take apart
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Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
Most commercial adhesives are made to stay permanently set once bonded, so electronics or other goods that are assembled using them are quite difficult to take apart for recycling.
—New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025
Experts wondered why any leader would take apart a perfectly good security wall in an area that was constantly threatened by invasion.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
As Taubman sees it, Briah Artemis is a platform to dismantle Western ideals — her debut collection took on beauty (hence the pageant dress) and here she’s taken apart the American dream.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 25 Nov. 2025
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 18 Dec. 2025.
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