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
Young players being pulled apart from teammates who’ve grown close is commonplace during the peak of trade season.
—
Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2024
An actor who made it through the ’90s – an era when stars were being created and pulled apart like faulty Build-a-Bears with alarming frequency.
—Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 June 2024
After trading insults, Aydin shoved Cabral and Cabral responded by smashing a drink on Aydin’s head before they were pulled apart.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024
Cohen pulls apart discrepancies and inconsistencies in the various stories told through the years.
—Peter D. Kramer, USA TODAY, 23 May 2024
Instead of working together on issues of common interest, they have been pulled apart by diverging national interests and have responded incoherently to autocratic states’ co-optation of new technologies.
—Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020
The pastry shell is golden, with the layers pulling apart from one another like scales.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
The Reykjanes Peninsula experiences a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity as the two tectonic plates beneath it get pulled apart, Live Science’s Hannah Osborne reported in November.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024
The Oakland Fire Department also began working with the property owner and a heavy equipment operator to pull apart the building so crews could reach any remaining hot spots, Hunt said.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024
Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2024
An actor who made it through the ’90s – an era when stars were being created and pulled apart like faulty Build-a-Bears with alarming frequency.
—Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 June 2024
After trading insults, Aydin shoved Cabral and Cabral responded by smashing a drink on Aydin’s head before they were pulled apart.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024
Cohen pulls apart discrepancies and inconsistencies in the various stories told through the years.
—Peter D. Kramer, USA TODAY, 23 May 2024
Instead of working together on issues of common interest, they have been pulled apart by diverging national interests and have responded incoherently to autocratic states’ co-optation of new technologies.
—Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020
The pastry shell is golden, with the layers pulling apart from one another like scales.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
The Reykjanes Peninsula experiences a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity as the two tectonic plates beneath it get pulled apart, Live Science’s Hannah Osborne reported in November.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024
The Oakland Fire Department also began working with the property owner and a heavy equipment operator to pull apart the building so crews could reach any remaining hot spots, Hunt said.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pull apart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pull apart
Cite this Entry
“Pull apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pull%20apart. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share