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
And also yours to squander, to take apart and reconfigure, even to lose.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Her university studies in philosophy and literature are evident in its design: A poem written in the movement’s cogs only aligns a few times a year (when the moon cycle and Gregorian calendar cycle meet) and can only be read if the watch is taken apart.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
As a curious kid, Richardson took apart electronics and put them back together.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The curious kernel Google did not explain why only certain devices were affected, but Hector Martin—of Asahi Linux, open source Kinect drivers, and other fame—took apart the update's binary kernel and has some guesses.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take apart
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A.o. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Her university studies in philosophy and literature are evident in its design: A poem written in the movement’s cogs only aligns a few times a year (when the moon cycle and Gregorian calendar cycle meet) and can only be read if the watch is taken apart.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
As a curious kid, Richardson took apart electronics and put them back together.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The curious kernel Google did not explain why only certain devices were affected, but Hector Martin—of Asahi Linux, open source Kinect drivers, and other fame—took apart the update's binary kernel and has some guesses.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 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 9 May. 2025.
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