pick apart
verb
picked apart; picking apart; picks apart
chiefly US
: to say all of the things that are bad or wrong about (someone or something) : to criticize (a person or thing) in a very detailed and usually unkind way
You can expect political analysts to pick apart the governor's speech.
The film's critics picked his performance apart.
Examples of pick apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet its script and staging afforded Spark the space to pick apart Sybil’s nagging question.
—
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
That changed rapidly as Argentina flew out of the traps and picked apart their jaded opponents, going 2-0 up after 36 minutes, with the first goal a Messi penalty.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The best players on the planet are always going to pick apart a golf course with those factors, which is exactly what unfolded.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
The rock would have to be removed in one piece, unlike a tumor, which could be picked apart.
—Martha Raddatz, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
That changed rapidly as Argentina flew out of the traps and picked apart their jaded opponents, going 2-0 up after 36 minutes, with the first goal a Messi penalty.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The best players on the planet are always going to pick apart a golf course with those factors, which is exactly what unfolded.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
The rock would have to be removed in one piece, unlike a tumor, which could be picked apart.
—Martha Raddatz, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
Cite this Entry
“Pick apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%20apart. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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