shredded; shredding; shreds
1
transitive
: to cut or tear (something) into shreds
shredded the documents
2
transitive
: demolish sense 2
… sharp lawyers shredding hapless witnesses on live television …—
Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer3
intransitive
: to come apart in or break into shreds
The cloth had shredded.
4
a
intransitive
: to ski or engage in a board sport (such as snowboarding, skateboarding, or surfing) with exceptional skill
At its regular meeting Monday, the Cullman City Council signed off on constructing a place where skateboarders can … shred … and ollie to their hearts' content.—Benjamin Bullard
Benjamin Bullard
b
transitive
: to shred on (a surface)
For fans of snow sports, Beach Mountain Resort, Sugar Mountain Resort and Appalachian Ski Mountain offer sweet powdery slopes to shred.—Luke Weir
Luke WeirAt one point, Paul was thought by many to be the best surfer on the planet, a guy who had the rare ability to totally shred waves with radical moves and yet do it very gracefully and with a beautiful flowing style.—Corky Carroll
Corky Carroll5
transitive + intransitive
: to play an electric guitar with great skill and speed
She shreds on guitar and has the voice of an angel.—Rachel Stone
Rachel Stone… this child musician has to be able to shred the guitar at an adult, professional level.—Kerry Clawson
Kerry Clawson6
shredder
noun
Synonyms
Examples of shred in a Sentence
Noun
The wallpaper is in shreds.
His reputation was in shreds after the arrest.
He struggled to retain a shred of his dignity.
Verb
Shred the cabbage and add it to the salad.
shredded some cooked chicken for the soup
Recent Examples on the WebClaudia Grisales, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Years later when a shred of aircraft aluminum and the rubber heel from a woman’s shoe were found on an island 400 miles from Earhart’s destination, she was imagined to have been a castaway.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
If Sprinkle is the pick, UW fans would have good reason for a shred of optimism heading into the Big Ten.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
That base is thoroughly blended with thick, soft spaghetti noodles and big shreds of pork that have a great smoky bite.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2024
The beef fans out into shreds between your teeth as star anise, cardamom, lemongrass, galangal and other spices tingle your tongue and nose with peppery and vaguely floral notes.
—The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Rossiter, who was found to have a similar blood alcohol level, can recall only shreds of the crash: A bright orange glow.
—Talia Trackim, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
This time, Lopez is turning the tables and seems intent on sharing every shred of their love while Affleck grudgingly follows along.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024
The razor-sharp teeth produce finer shreds than a traditional box or rotary grater.
—Belle Duchene, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Jaws dropped at Legendary and Warner Bros. when Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opened to $80 million in North America over Easter weekend despite getting shredded by critics.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Have fun terrifying the family by lighting ‘em up off the line and shredding to 60 in 3 seconds flat.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Grate potatoes and onion using shredding disk attachment on a food processor or large holes of a box grater.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024
Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky were devastated by tornadoes shredding through the Midwest Thursday.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024
Unsurprisingly, Gordon shreds plenty of avant-rock noise into the mix, along with nebulous, shoegazey textures and an arresting, disaffected vocal that is equal parts Migos and, well, Kim Gordon.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
The company says its Newport facility will continue handling collections, sorting and shipping once shredding stops.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
Santee residents can drop off unwanted household items and have paper shredded.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
How are Democrats responding? Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in February after the House vote that the impeachment did not have a shred of evidence or legitimate constitutional grounds.
—Claudia Grisales, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Years later when a shred of aircraft aluminum and the rubber heel from a woman’s shoe were found on an island 400 miles from Earhart’s destination, she was imagined to have been a castaway.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
If Sprinkle is the pick, UW fans would have good reason for a shred of optimism heading into the Big Ten.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024
That base is thoroughly blended with thick, soft spaghetti noodles and big shreds of pork that have a great smoky bite.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2024
The beef fans out into shreds between your teeth as star anise, cardamom, lemongrass, galangal and other spices tingle your tongue and nose with peppery and vaguely floral notes.
—The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Rossiter, who was found to have a similar blood alcohol level, can recall only shreds of the crash: A bright orange glow.
—Talia Trackim, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
This time, Lopez is turning the tables and seems intent on sharing every shred of their love while Affleck grudgingly follows along.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024
The razor-sharp teeth produce finer shreds than a traditional box or rotary grater.
—Belle Duchene, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Document shredding versus interrupting an official meeting Congress approved the law in 2002 as part of an overhaul of the financial system.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Jaws dropped at Legendary and Warner Bros. when Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opened to $80 million in North America over Easter weekend despite getting shredded by critics.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Have fun terrifying the family by lighting ‘em up off the line and shredding to 60 in 3 seconds flat.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Grate potatoes and onion using shredding disk attachment on a food processor or large holes of a box grater.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024
Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky were devastated by tornadoes shredding through the Midwest Thursday.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024
Unsurprisingly, Gordon shreds plenty of avant-rock noise into the mix, along with nebulous, shoegazey textures and an arresting, disaffected vocal that is equal parts Migos and, well, Kim Gordon.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
The company says its Newport facility will continue handling collections, sorting and shipping once shredding stops.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
Santee residents can drop off unwanted household items and have paper shredded.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shred.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shred
Cite this Entry
“Shred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shred. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shred
2 of 2 verb
shredded; shredding
: to cut or tear into shreds
shred paper
shred cabbage
shredder
noun
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