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
Here's how to pull this prank off: To make the crackers, pull apart several vanilla sandwich cookies.
—
Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat; when cooked, the flesh will start to pull apart and almost flake.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024
Keep the handles pulled apart and twist out the metal.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
The mountain formed from the sedate shifts of the nearby mid-Atlantic ridge, where the North American and African tectonic plates slowly pull apart.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024
Rich passages of harmonic concord suddenly split into straying sonorities, as though pulled apart by a prism.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024
Place covered pan back in the oven and cook till the meat pulls apart using just a fork.
—The View, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
The movement along these plate boundaries frequently produces earthquakes, and as the planet’s crust pulls apart, magma can rise to the surface, triggering volcanic eruptions.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In fact, the lithosphere is separated into several vast slabs, known as lithospheric or tectonic plates, that interact with one another, pushing together and pulling apart over time.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat; when cooked, the flesh will start to pull apart and almost flake.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024
Keep the handles pulled apart and twist out the metal.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
The mountain formed from the sedate shifts of the nearby mid-Atlantic ridge, where the North American and African tectonic plates slowly pull apart.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024
Rich passages of harmonic concord suddenly split into straying sonorities, as though pulled apart by a prism.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024
Place covered pan back in the oven and cook till the meat pulls apart using just a fork.
—The View, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
The movement along these plate boundaries frequently produces earthquakes, and as the planet’s crust pulls apart, magma can rise to the surface, triggering volcanic eruptions.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023
In fact, the lithosphere is separated into several vast slabs, known as lithospheric or tectonic plates, that interact with one another, pushing together and pulling apart over time.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pull 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 pull apart
Cite this Entry
“Pull apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20apart. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share