shred

noun

\ˈshred,

especially Southern ˈsred\

Definition of shred

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

verb

shredded; shredding

Definition of shred (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 archaic : to cut off

2 : to cut or tear into shreds shredded the documents

3 : demolish sense 2 sharp lawyers shredding hapless witnesses— Charles Krauthammer

intransitive verb

: to come apart in or break up into shreds

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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

There's not a single corroborating witness, there's not a single shred of evidence. — Fox News, "Reps. Meadows, Jordan call on Rosenstein to testify," 27 Sep. 2018 As for his future at United, which has been labelled 'uncertain' by overzealous reporting keen to sensationalise every shred of information, Pogba says he is committed to his current contract. — SI.com, "Paul Pogba Opens Up on Difficult Spell Last Season & Brands Transfer Speculation as 'Just Words'," 5 June 2018 Not a shred of evidence about Trump, Russia collusion. — Fox News, "Conway: Denuclearization of North Korea benefits the world," 12 June 2018 There’s not a shred of evidence that these laws work. — Katie Zezima, Washington Post, "Federal, state authorities step up fentanyl prosecutions as drug drives spike in overdoses," 7 June 2018 Legacy Records has taken this shred of history and turned it into a fantasy of black American music. — New York Times, "Legacy Records Looks for History in a Brand New Neighborhood," 19 June 2018 Even after Jakob Junis keyed a victory over the Yankees in what became yet another lost series, the Royals couldn’t grasp a single shred of momentum. — Maria Torres, kansascity, "Royals beat Cardinals in 10 innings, secure first road series victory of season | The Kansas City Star," 23 May 2018 Modern Houston sprawls over the nappy carpet of Texas soil in shreds, bones, nerves, and holes, a charred skeleton with an eye retained here, and there a prosthetic hand still smoking. — Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle, "How Norman Mailer nailed Houston - and the future of politics," 26 Feb. 2018 But the new numbers out today hold one shred of hope for buyers: The number of homes for sale is finally ticking up. — Morning Brief, The Seattle Times, "WSU quarterback Hilinski had CTE; travel ban upheld | Tuesday Morning Brief, June 26," 26 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Vegetables: Prepare a batch of roasted Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, fennel, and so on, but also add in some chopped, shredded, or thinly-sliced raw veggies. — Carrie Dennett, The Seattle Times, "Grain bowls are trending. Here’s how to make your own.," 28 Nov. 2018 Congratulations to Robyn Denholm, the new chairwoman of Tesla’s board! Denholm got her start at the now-defunct Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm best known for its work shredding Enron’s documents. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "Tesla’s new chairwoman is walking into SEC and DOJ probes," 9 Nov. 2018 When the Rams shredded the Vikings for 38 points earlier this season, Los Angeles faced six third downs during the game. — Jonathan Clegg, WSJ, "When Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes Played in College, the NFL Saw Its Future," 1 Nov. 2018 Someone who is an art fan would definitely pay $200,000 for the custom sculpture from Bjørn — and that’s still a fraction of the cost of the $1.4 million piece that Banksy just shredded! — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "The annual Neiman Marcus fantasy gifts list gives a look into what the 1 percent buys for the holidays.," 18 Oct. 2018 Make topping: Combine brown sugar in bowl with butter, finely shredded unsweetened coconut, and cilantro. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Spiced Fresh Tomato Soup with Sweet and Herby Pitas," 9 Oct. 2018 Roca Jack, Garganta, The Lake Run—that my friends were shredding. — Amy Tara Koch, Vogue, "Can an Intermediate Skier Take on the Chilean Andes? Yes, and It’s a Party at Ski Portillo," 12 Sep. 2018 This new kit still is not a guitar despite all the YouTube videos of musicians shredding Jimi Hendrix riffs on this stuff. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "ROLI Songmaker Kit mini-review: Rediscovering my musical roots with fancy new tech," 19 Aug. 2018 That in addition to their only child, the building was also one to suffer from the Moore’s contentious divorce—holes the size of baseballs in the plaster and lathe walls, shredded wooden door frames. — Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "Here Is Where the Taxi Driver Set His Wife on Fire" by GKS Waller," 2 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shred.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.