tear apart
.
Upset or make distraught, as in
The parents' divorce tore apart the grandparents
.
[
Second half of 1800s
]
.
Criticize severely, as in
The professor tore her paper apart
.
[
Mid-1900s
]
.
Search some place completely, as in
The police tore the house apart
.
[
Second half of 1900s
]
.
Separate, especially unwillingly, as in
The war tore many families apart
.