fall apart — fail or collapse as a plan
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To stop working or fail completely, especially for plans, systems, or organizations.
Say it like a native
Textbook The entire arrangement collapsed at the last minute.
Native The whole thing fell apart at the last minute.
'Fell apart' is the natural verb for plans collapsing; 'the entire arrangement collapsed' is stiffer.
Pattern: fall apart (subject: plan/system/project)
In use
- The project fell apart when the team leader quit.work
- If a business plan isn't realistic, it can quickly fall apart.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The deal fall apart at the end.
✓ The deal fell apart at the end.
Past tense is 'fell apart', not 'fall apart'.
Common collocations
fall apart + plan/system— the plan, the deal, at the seams, completely
Don't confuse it
'Fail' is general; 'fall apart' means things break down in different areas.
Related
- fall apart (break into pieces) — Another meaning of 'fall apart' is 'break into pieces'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.