From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpull apart phrasal verb1 pull something ↔ apart to separate something into pieces Pull the meat apart with two forks.2 SAD/UNHAPPY 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 SEPARATE 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 → pull→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
pull apart• Concrete is extremely strong when compressed but has no strength at all when pulled apart.• But I fear we are now being pulled apart - by commercial pressures and by the changes forced upon the broadcasting environment.• Does the crust separate or pull apart from itself just under the dome?• He succeeded in pulling apart my clenched arms and started on my legs. 