to pieces

Idioms

Into fragments, disorganized, or confused, as in I tore his argument to pieces. This metaphoric term has been so used since about 1600. Also see go to pieces; pick apart (to pieces); thrill to pieces.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The big monkey saw this and went all to pieces.

From Literature

Then I thought, “What in the world am I thinking of. I can’t do that. Why, it would be like hanging a hundred dollar bill in a tree and shooting it all to pieces. And, there was the Old Man of the Mountains. If I shot one of those silly monkeys, there was no telling what he’d do.”

From Literature

As I walked up, Papa frowned and said, “What were you running from, Jay Berry? And look at your clothes. Why, they’re torn all to pieces. What happened anyway?”

From Literature

On hearing my voice, the big monkey went all to pieces.

From Literature

Before I could say anything else, Daisy turned and hollered through the open door of the house, “Mama! Mama! Come and look at Jay Berry and Rowdy! They’re chewed all to pieces and there’s blood all over them.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023