dissect
To study something very carefully, part by part.
To examine something carefully by looking at its parts in order to understand it, explain it, or criticize it.
To cut up a dead animal or body to study it.
To cut open and separate the parts of a dead animal, plant, or body in order to study its internal structure.
To look at a sentence and name its parts (subject, verb, etc.).
To analyze a sentence or piece of writing by identifying its grammatical parts and how they relate to each other.
To look closely at data to see what parts it has.
To examine data, messages, or signals closely to understand their internal structure or components.
- Base: dissect
- 3rd Person Singular: dissects
- Present Participle: dissecting
- Past: dissected
dissect a frog
1do a frog dissection
To cut open a frog in science class to study its body.
- Some students were nervous about having to dissect a frog.
- In middle school we dissected a frog and labeled the organs.
- The lab manual explains how to dissect a frog safely.
- We dissected a frog in science class.
dissect something line by line
1examine each part in order
To check something one line at a time.
- We dissected the contract line by line before signing it.
- The tutor dissected my essay line by line and explained how to improve it.
- They dissected the code line by line to find the bug.
- The teacher dissected the poem line by line.
dissect something to pieces
1analyze extremely thoroughly
To talk about something in too much detail.
- Online commenters dissected the scene to pieces within hours of the episode airing.
- The panel dissected her speech to pieces, focusing on every slip and pause.
- If we dissect the plan to pieces, we may never actually start.
- They dissected the idea to pieces.