pull apart

Hold a tuft of cotton fibers tightly between the fingers and thumb of each hand and pull apart with a jerk.

Sheet steel can be welded to cast iron, but will pull apart, tearing out particles of the iron.

Pull the cotton apart, then twist some of it and pull apart; in turn break the branch, the cornstalk and the straw.

The cotton does not pull apart readily nor do the others break easily; this is because they all contain long, tough fibres.

This makes a very secure fastening and, unless the neck of the catch is too slender, it will neither break nor pull apart.