shred

1 of 2

noun

ˈshred How to pronounce shred (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈsred
1
a
: a long narrow strip cut or torn off
b
shreds plural : a shredded, damaged, or ruined condition
a reputation torn to shreds
2
: particle, scrap
not a shred of evidence

shred

2 of 2

verb

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
3
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
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
At 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
5
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
… this child musician has to be able to shred the guitar at an adult, professional level.Kerry Clawson
6
transitive archaic : to cut off
shredder noun

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 Web
Noun
And all this without a shred of actual evidence or even a hint at the source of these wildly disparate numbers. Ron Elving, NPR, 14 Sep. 2024 So there’s some shred of hope for a new Lamar album by January. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2024
Verb
In 2018, Banksy shredded a framed copy of the painting in a stunt during a live auction at Sotheby’s in London. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2024 This was because my father loves to collect things that really should be thrown out, like pop can tabs or T-shirts shredded at the neckline. Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shred 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English shrede, from Old English scrēade; akin to Old High German scrōt piece cut off

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shred was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shred

Cite this Entry

“Shred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shred. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

shred

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a long narrow piece cut or torn off : scrap
shreds of cloth
b
plural : a shredded, damaged, or ruined condition
the loss tore his confidence to shreds
reputation was in shreds
2
: a small amount : bit
not a shred of evidence

shred

2 of 2 verb
shredded; shredding
: to cut or tear into shreds
shred paper
shred cabbage
shredder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shred

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