fall apart

Từ điển tiếng Anh - Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary

fall apart phrasal verb [ fell apart fallen apart fallen apart falls apart falling apart ]
 
BREAK

1. <A > to break into pieces
• My poor old boots are falling apart.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Tearing and breaking into pieces
 
• He bought some cheap shoes that fell apart after a couple of months.
• My jacket is so old it's falling apart.
• I picked up the book and it fell apart in my hands.
• My old coat is falling apart at the seams.
• I really have to replace this bag - it's falling apart.
 
STOP WORKING

2. <A > If an organization, system or agreement falls apart, it fails or stops working effectively
• The deal fell apart because of a lack of financing.
• Their marriage fell apart when she found out about her husband's affair.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Failing and doing badly
 
• The whole family seems to be falling apart since Daniel died.
• The whole apparatus of communism was already falling apart.
• Arsenal's defence were strong, but their midfield fell apart in the first five minutes of the match.
• I thought the whole meeting was going to fall apart but you rescued it like a true professional!
• Their marriage is falling apart at the seams.
 
EMOTIONS
3. informal to experience serious emotional problems that make you unable to think or act in the usual way
• After his wife died, he began to fall apart.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Mental and psychiatric disorders
Main entry: fall_{phrasal verb}