pick apart
phrasal verb
picked apart; picking apart; picks apart
chiefly US
: to say all of the things that are bad or wrong about (someone or something) : to criticize (a person or thing) in a very detailed and usually unkind way
You can expect political analysts to pick apart the governor's speech.
The film's critics picked his performance apart.
Examples of pick apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dating to his junior golf days, Scheffler picked apart golf courses by thinking one step ahead.
—
Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
In an hour-long interview with USA TODAY at the state’s Death Row just north of Houston, Wood stood behind his longtime claims of innocence, picked apart the state’s case against him and talked about his struggle to find peace as his death nears.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
They have been ruthlessly picked apart in 4-0 and 5-2 defeats this season against Barcelona, who consistently found a player behind the midfield four.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
And Minecraft fans are not picking apart the quality of greenscreens in a trailer.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
In an hour-long interview with USA TODAY at the state’s Death Row just north of Houston, Wood stood behind his longtime claims of innocence, picked apart the state’s case against him and talked about his struggle to find peace as his death nears.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
They have been ruthlessly picked apart in 4-0 and 5-2 defeats this season against Barcelona, who consistently found a player behind the midfield four.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
And Minecraft fans are not picking apart the quality of greenscreens in a trailer.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
Cite this Entry
“Pick apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%20apart. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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