Separating or Distinguishing (Apart): English Vocabulary List

to disassemble or break into separate pieces

"The book came apart."

"The old book began to come apart in my hands because the glue holding the pages together had dried out and cracked over the years."

to gradually become less close or connected, often due to a lack of shared interests or diverging paths

"Old friends sometimes drift apart over time."

"The two childhood friends drifted apart over the years as they pursued different careers and moved to different cities."

(of people and their relationship) to gradually become less close

"Old friends sometimes grow apart naturally."

"After college we slowly grew apart and now we barely even speak to each other anymore."

to break something down into its individual pieces

"Pick apart the flawed argument."

"The critics will pick apart every aspect of the film and point out all of its flaws and weaknesses."

to become shattered, often after applying much force

"The strong rope pulled apart."

"The fragile ancient vase began to pull apart when it was accidentally dropped on the floor."

to distinguish somebody or something from others, making them unique or better in some way

"His talent sets him apart completely."

"His incredible work ethic and dedication set him apart from all the other employees at the company."

to disassemble or separate into its individual components or parts

"Take apart the machine carefully."

"The curious child loved to take apart his old toys to see how the small mechanical parts worked inside."

to separate or destroy by causing serious arguments in a country, organization, or group

"The argument tore them apart."

"Internal disagreements over leadership threatened to tear apart the newly formed political party."

to distinguish the differences between things or people

"Twins are hard to tell apart."

"It is very difficult to tell apart the identical twins because they dress and style their hair exactly the same way."

to fall or break into pieces as a result of being in an extremely bad condition

"The old building falls apart slowly."

"The old book fell apart in my hands because the glue holding the pages together had dried out completely."