fall apart — become emotionally unable to cope
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To lose control of your emotions and feel unable to deal with a situation.
Say it like a native
Textbook Following the loss, she became emotionally unable to function.
Native After the loss, she completely fell apart.
'Fall apart' is how people describe an emotional collapse; the clinical paraphrase feels detached.
Pattern: fall apart (subject: person)
In use
- She fell apart after hearing the bad news.family
- Some people fall apart under stress, while others manage to stay calm.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He fell apart himself after the breakup.
✓ He fell apart after the breakup.
'Fall apart' is intransitive — no reflexive 'himself'.
Common collocations
fall apart + emotionally— completely, after, at the funeral, under pressure
Don't confuse it
'Break down' often means crying suddenly; 'fall apart' is more about not coping overall.
Related
- fall apart (break into pieces) — Another meaning of 'fall apart' is 'break into pieces'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.