rip apart

phrasal verb

ripped apart; ripping apart; rips apart

1

: to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces

The child ripped the toy apart.

Strong winds had ripped apart many of the little beach bungalows.

—often used figuratively

a tragedy/scandal that almost ripped the family apart

2

: to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.

Critics ripped the author's latest novel apart.

an article that rips apart the mayor's plan

Examples of rip apart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But for dogs who take less than five minutes to completely rip apart that new toy, the excitement isn’t long-lived. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025

But as with its first two seasons, The White Lotus succeeds at being fun TV first and foremost — fun to talk about, to dissect, to rip apart and wonder about and be frustrated by. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025

Brooke later returned home only to find some of her books ripped apart and sprawled out all over her bedroom. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Horror is so often about the horror of watching the female body be ripped apart, exploited, cut, murdered. —William Earl, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for rip apart

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