From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
fall apart
v 1: lose one's emotional or mental composure; "She fell apart
when her only child died" [syn: fall apart, {go to
pieces}]
2: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore
out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely" [syn:
break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart]
3: break or fall apart into fragments; "The cookies crumbled";
"The Sphinx is crumbling" [syn: crumble, fall apart]
4: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine
broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" [syn: break,
separate, split up, fall apart, come apart]