pull apart phrasal verb ( see also ↑ pull )
1 . pull something ↔ apart to separate something into pieces:
Pull the meat apart with two forks.
2 . pull somebody ↔ apart to make the relationships between people in a group bad or difficult:
His drinking pulled the family apart.
3 . pull something ↔ apart to carefully examine or criticize something:
The selection committee pulled each proposal apart.
4 . pull somebody/something ↔ apart to separate people or animals when they are fighting:
The fight ended only when the referee pulled the two players apart.
5 . if something pulls apart, it breaks into pieces when you pull on it