going to pieces

phrase

present participle of go to pieces
as in losing it
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 going to pieces
  1. losing it
  2. falling apart
Phrase
  • But as dreams of getting rich have grown, so have the dangers of losing it all.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • On another take, Pula appears to briefly tolerate the hat before nearly losing it during a stretch.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of losing it
Phrase
  • Prior’s trip amounted to more of a breather than anything else, as the Dodgers could not afford the inning falling apart.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Ryan didn't hold back in Freedom's Instagram comments after the ejection, calling out the WNBA for failing to stand up for female athletes as the league's position on the trans issue keeps falling apart.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of falling apart
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

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

Cite this Entry

“Going to pieces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/going%20to%20pieces. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All