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
Everything seemed fair game to be pulled apart and reassembled, though not necessarily in its original order.
—
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
As the players were being pulled apart, Bickerstaff and Prigioni exchanged heated words, escalating the tension.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Trump signed a Thursday executive order seeking to pull apart the functions of the department, the brainchild of former President Carter.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors played the 911 call in a Denver courtroom Friday at the start of a preliminary hearing in the murder case against Myklebust — then spent the next hours pulling apart the man’s story.
—Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull apart
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
As the players were being pulled apart, Bickerstaff and Prigioni exchanged heated words, escalating the tension.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Trump signed a Thursday executive order seeking to pull apart the functions of the department, the brainchild of former President Carter.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
Prosecutors played the 911 call in a Denver courtroom Friday at the start of a preliminary hearing in the murder case against Myklebust — then spent the next hours pulling apart the man’s story.
—Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pull apart
Cite this Entry
“Pull apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20apart. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share