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take apart

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

Pull something to pieces to see how it works; or beat or criticize someone completely

Literal meaning: To take all the pieces apart from each other — transparent.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To disassemble something by separating it into its component parts

"He loved taking apart old radios to see how they worked."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

(Informal) To thoroughly criticize or find fault with someone's work, argument, or ideas

"The reviewer took the new novel apart, pointing out every plot hole and inconsistency."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

(Informal) To defeat an opponent completely and convincingly

"The home side took their rivals apart in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

The literal sense (disassembly) is neutral and practical. The figurative senses (criticism, defeat) are informal and emphatic. In the competitive sense ('the team took them apart'), it means winning very convincingly. In the critical sense, it means systematically exposing every flaw.

Commonly used with

engine clock argument opponent team proposal

Forms

Base
take apart
I/you/we/they
3rd person
takes apart
he/she/it
Past simple
took apart
yesterday
Past participle
taken apart
have + pp
-ing form
taking apart
continuous

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Synonyms

break down disassemble dismantle dissect pull apart tear into

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