go/fall to pieces
C2 If someone goes/falls to pieces, that person becomes unable to think clearly and control their emotions because of something unpleasant or difficult that they have experienced:
She just went (all) to pieces during finals.
If a relationship, organization, or system goes/falls to pieces, it fails:
Their marriage began to fall to pieces after only a few months.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making people sad, shocked and upset
- aback
- amiss
- appal
- be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
- bite
- burn
- hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
- horrify
- hurt sb's feelings idiom
- hurtful
- it'll (all) end in tears idiom
- laugh
- mess
- nose
- shake
- tear sb apart
- tear sb's heart out idiom
- torture
- traumatize
- twist/turn the knife (in the wound) idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Failing and doing badly