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
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
The bones had been pulled apart, presumably by scavengers, animals.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
This is a solid no-frills French-style croissant, something to pull apart with a morning coffee, but not eat as a sandwich.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The inside would be soft from the eggs, ready to be pulled apart with our hands.
—Sanaë Lemoine, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Here's how to pull this prank off: To make the crackers, pull apart several vanilla sandwich cookies.
—Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat; when cooked, the flesh will start to pull apart and almost flake.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024
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
The bones had been pulled apart, presumably by scavengers, animals.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
This is a solid no-frills French-style croissant, something to pull apart with a morning coffee, but not eat as a sandwich.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The inside would be soft from the eggs, ready to be pulled apart with our hands.
—Sanaë Lemoine, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Here's how to pull this prank off: To make the crackers, pull apart several vanilla sandwich cookies.
—Kimberly Stoney, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat; when cooked, the flesh will start to pull apart and almost flake.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 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 7 Jun. 2024.
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