fall to pieces
Shatter beyond repair
To fall to pieces is to break apart or disintegrate, either physically or emotionally.
A cheap chair falls to pieces after a few months.
A person falls to pieces when overwhelmed by grief or stress—composure gives way entirely.
Organizations or plans can fall to pieces when they collapse from internal weakness: The whole operation fell to pieces once funding dried up.
Fragment gradually
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- collapseSudden structural failure
- fragmentIncomplete portion of whole
- splinterThin sharp fragment
fracture · disintegrate · ruins · wreckage · rubble · demolition · topple · cave-in
Failure or decomposition
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- unravelSeparate intertwined strands
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
- distraughtDeeply agitated by grief
shattered · hysterical · tearful · panic · anguish · sobbing · inconsolable · devastated
crumble
Fragment gradually
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- collapseSudden structural failure
- fragmentIncomplete portion of whole
splinter · fracture · disintegrate · ruins · wreckage · rubble · demolition · topple · cave-in · implode
breakdown
Failure or decomposition
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- unravelSeparate intertwined strands
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
distraught · shattered · hysterical · tearful · panic · anguish · sobbing · inconsolable · devastated · crumble
- deterioratedecay, rot, deteriorate, decompose, corrode
fall to pieceshold together
Remain unified, not fragment
cohere · solidify · fuse · bond · consolidate
fall to pieceshold it together
Maintain emotional stability
stay calm · stay strong · pull oneself together · keep a stiff upper lip · soldier on
fall to pieceshold together
Remain unified, not fragment
come together · fall into place · work out · gel · coalesce
fall, piece, fallen, pieces, falling, falls, piecing, pieced, piecemeal