FALL APART

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fall apart mean? 

• FALL APART (verb)
  The verb FALL APART has 4 senses:

1. lose one's emotional or mental composure

2. go to pieces

3. break or fall apart into fragments

4. become separated into pieces or fragments

  Familiarity information: FALL APART used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FALL APART (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lose one's emotional or mental composure

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

fall apart; go to pieces

Context example:

She fell apart when her only child died

Hypernyms (to "fall apart" is one way to...):

break down; lose it; snap (lose control of one's emotions)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Go to pieces

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

break; bust; fall apart; wear; wear out

Context example:

The old chair finally fell apart completely

Hypernyms (to "fall apart" is one way to...):

crumble; decay; dilapidate (fall into decay or ruin)

Verb group:

break; bust (ruin completely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall apart"):

fray; frazzle (wear away by rubbing)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Break or fall apart into fragments

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

crumble; fall apart

Context example:

The Sphinx is crumbling

Hypernyms (to "fall apart" is one way to...):

disintegrate (break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Become separated into pieces or fragments

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up

Context example:

The freshly baked loaf fell apart

Hypernyms (to "fall apart" is one way to...):

change integrity (change in physical make-up)

Verb group:

break (destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall apart"):

break open; burst; split (come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure)

puncture (be pierced or punctured)

burst; bust (break open or apart suddenly and forcefully)

smash (break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow)

ladder; run (come unraveled or undone as if by snagging)

crack; snap (break suddenly and abruptly, as under tension)

break up; fragment; fragmentise; fragmentize (break or cause to break into pieces)

crush (become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

 Context examples 

Will you want to make that relationship stronger, or has that relationship been hanging on a string, ready to fall apart at any second?

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

In a series of experiments, they showed that FluA-20 can reach into an otherwise inaccessible part of the three-part HA trimer molecule and cause it to fall apart, thus preventing the spread of virus from cell to cell.

(Human antibody reveals hidden vulnerability in influenza virus, National Institutes of Health)