From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfall to piecesfall to piecesBREAK a) to become old and in bad condition All my clothes are falling to pieces. They’ve let that lovely old house fall to pieces around them. b) to no longer be successful or working well The economy is falling to pieces. → piece
Examples from the Corpus
fall to pieces• I suppose it's just about falling to pieces.• He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.• After he left, I fell to pieces.• The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.• As a result, now that the autumn rains were here, it was already showing signs of falling to pieces.• The house was filthy, she realized, practically falling to pieces.• If reforms are not carried out soon, the economy will simply fall to pieces.• The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.• Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.• The vase fell to pieces as soon as it hit the floor.• Stacy would fall to pieces if she knew Gary was cheating on her. 