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 WebCharles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 2 Nov. 2023
There is not a shred of doubt that these blatant acts of aggression fit the legal criteria of war crimes.
—Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2023
To grow in the early days, Cameo started recruiting anyone with a shred of fame to its platform, taking a 25 percent cut of videos that cost fans as much as $3,000.
—Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023
Sign up Every law of war, every superhero ethos, every shred of common sense and basic decency tells us that the good guys are the ones who don’t kill children.
—Chris Cannon, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
There’s not a shred of trash anywhere, like from a normal show.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2023
These small shreds of plastic were found around Becky Bliefnick's body.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2023
Most of what has been discovered are bone fragments, teeth and shreds of clothing.
—Pascale Bonnefoy, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023
The small forward who went from fighting for minutes four years ago to one of the most beloved players in UCLA basketball history doesn’t harbor a shred of anxiety about making it in the NBA.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2023
Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023
Ingredients 1 small head green cabbage, cored, quartered, and finely shredded
1 oz.
—Jonathan Miles, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023
And stopping extremists from shredding women’s reproductive rights.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
April 18 - Fox News reaches a last-second settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, paying more than $787 million to end a two-year legal battle that publicly shredded the network’s credibility.
—CNN, 13 Nov. 2023
The unconvincing smile was meant to protect a fragile spirit that shredded when her Achilles did, robbing her of the storybook ending her novel career deserved.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
In 2021, German company Singer Vehicle Design transformed a 1990 911 into an off-roading savage that could easily shred pavement or win the Baja 1000.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2023
Landscape fabric releases microplastics into the environment and eventually shreds.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023
Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup) 2 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
Directions
Prepare green beans:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
We will be called every derogatory name imaginable, for having the temerity to vote our conscience, and desire our preferred candidate to have a shred of integrity and decency.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 2 Nov. 2023
There is not a shred of doubt that these blatant acts of aggression fit the legal criteria of war crimes.
—Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2023
To grow in the early days, Cameo started recruiting anyone with a shred of fame to its platform, taking a 25 percent cut of videos that cost fans as much as $3,000.
—Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023
Sign up Every law of war, every superhero ethos, every shred of common sense and basic decency tells us that the good guys are the ones who don’t kill children.
—Chris Cannon, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
There’s not a shred of trash anywhere, like from a normal show.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2023
These small shreds of plastic were found around Becky Bliefnick's body.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Sep. 2023
Most of what has been discovered are bone fragments, teeth and shreds of clothing.
—Pascale Bonnefoy, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023
The small forward who went from fighting for minutes four years ago to one of the most beloved players in UCLA basketball history doesn’t harbor a shred of anxiety about making it in the NBA.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2023
Verb
Refrigerate shredded chicken and pork in airtight containers until ready to add to recipe in Step 3.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2023
Ingredients 1 small head green cabbage, cored, quartered, and finely shredded
1 oz.
—Jonathan Miles, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023
And stopping extremists from shredding women’s reproductive rights.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
April 18 - Fox News reaches a last-second settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, paying more than $787 million to end a two-year legal battle that publicly shredded the network’s credibility.
—CNN, 13 Nov. 2023
The unconvincing smile was meant to protect a fragile spirit that shredded when her Achilles did, robbing her of the storybook ending her novel career deserved.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
In 2021, German company Singer Vehicle Design transformed a 1990 911 into an off-roading savage that could easily shred pavement or win the Baja 1000.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2023
Landscape fabric releases microplastics into the environment and eventually shreds.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023
Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup) 2 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
Directions
Prepare green beans:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2023
See More
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 1 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
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
Nglish: Translation of shred for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of shred for Arabic Speakers
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