go to pieces

phrase

Definition of go to piecesnext
as in crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress After the breakup of his marriage he completely went to pieces.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for go to pieces
  1. fall apart
  2. lose it
Phrase
  • But the deal fell apart when lawmakers couldn’t agree on a solution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The plot follows a wealthy family whose lives fall apart after their young nanny disappears during a summer holiday and the family’s secrets and buried guilt rise to the surface.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fall apart
Phrase
  • Conditionality works best when the United States remains engaged enough for its partners to care about losing it.
    — Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s endless war and its global economic destruction isn’t helping the North Carolina apple farmer who lost it all in Hurricane Helene.
    — S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of lose it
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

go to one's head
go to pieces
go to pot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Go to pieces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20to%20pieces. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All