pull someone apart

pull someone apart
pull someone apart
1. Lit. to separate people who are entangled. •

The teacher pulled the fighting boys apart and sent them home.

They hugged each other so tightly that no one could have pulled them apart.

2. Fig. to upset someone very much; to cause someone grief and torment. •

This whole terrible affair has just pulled me apart.

Don't let this matter pull you apart. Things won't always be this bad.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • pull — pull1 [ pul ] verb *** ▸ 1 move someone/something toward you ▸ 2 remove something attached ▸ 3 move body with force ▸ 4 injure muscle ▸ 5 take gun/knife out ▸ 6 move window cover ▸ 7 make someone want to do something ▸ 8 get votes ▸ 9 suck smoke… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • pull apart — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms pull apart : present tense I/you/we/they pull apart he/she/it pulls apart present participle pulling apart past tense pulled apart past participle pulled apart pull someone apart to separate two people or… …   English dictionary

  • pull — /pʊl / (say pool) verb (t) 1. to draw or haul towards oneself or itself, in a particular direction, or into a particular position: to pull a sledge up a hill. 2. to draw or tug at with force: to pull a person s hair. 3. to draw, rend, or tear… …  

  • pull — I UK [pʊl] / US verb Word forms pull : present tense I/you/we/they pull he/she/it pulls present participle pulling past tense pulled past participle pulled *** 1) [intransitive/transitive] to move someone or something towards you using your hands …   English dictionary

  • pull — 1 /pUl/ verb 1 MOVE STH TOWARDS YOU (I, T) to use your hands to make something move towards you or in the direction that you are moving: Help me move the piano; you push and I ll pull. | pull sth: I pulled the handle and it just snapped off! |… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • pull*/*/*/ — [pʊl] verb I 1) [I/T] to move someone or something towards you using your hands Ant: push The little girl pulled gently at my sleeve.[/ex] I climbed into bed and pulled the duvet over my head.[/ex] A lifeguard had to pull her out of the… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • pull — [[t]p ʊl[/t]] ♦♦ pulls, pulling, pulled 1) VERB When you pull something, you hold it firmly and use force in order to move it towards you or away from its previous position. [V n with adv] They have pulled out patients teeth unnecessarily... [V n …   English dictionary

  • apart — a|part [ ə part ] function word *** Apart can be used in the following ways: as an adverb: We had to take the engine apart. after the verb to be : I m never happy when we re apart. as an adjective (only after a noun): Madagascar is a world apart …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • apart */*/*/ — UK [əˈpɑː(r)t] / US [əˈpɑrt] adjective, adverb Summary: Apart can be used in the following ways: as an adverb: We had to take the engine apart. after the verb to be : I m never happy when we re apart. as an adjective (only after a noun):… …   English dictionary

  • pull — pullable, adj. puller, n. /pool/, v.t. 1. to draw or haul toward oneself or itself, in a particular direction, or into a particular position: to pull a sled up a hill. 2. to draw or tug at with force. 3. to rend or tear: to pull a cloth to pieces …   Universalium

  • apart — adverb, adjective 1 DISTANCE if things are apart, they have an amount of space between them: Joel stood apart from the group, frowning. | two miles/six feet etc apart: The two villages are 6 kilometres apart. 2 TIME two hours/six weeks etc apart… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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