as in ripping
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
shredded some cooked chicken for the soup
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Recent Examples of shredding
Protect Your Plants Savvy gardeners suggest shredding aluminum foil and mixing it into mulch surrounding the base of your plants.
—
Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 6 June 2026
The virus floods the immune system, eventually shredding our vasculature.
—Neil Vora, Time, 22 May 2026
Magyar recently claimed that several of Orbán’s top lieutenants are rushing to send their assets abroad, perhaps to avoid financial or legal sanctions, and that others have been shredding incriminating documents.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The Golden Knights came flying out of the starting blocks, shredding the Mammoth with an unrelenting forecheck and scoring three straight goals to open the game.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
But the show’s interest in shredding these awful creatures has started to feel too narrow in purpose.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Today, that content is a 17-year-old miniature horse named Black Pearl absolutely shredding an electric keyboard in a children’s hospital.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Satriani and Vai have sustained their respective careers as forward-looking, envelope-shredding solo artists, composers and band leaders since the 1980s.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Sugar became a familiar sight in the surf over the last 16 years, a small white pup who was often shredding at the Huntington Beach Pier among the locals.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026
Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 6 June 2026
The virus floods the immune system, eventually shredding our vasculature.
—Neil Vora, Time, 22 May 2026
Magyar recently claimed that several of Orbán’s top lieutenants are rushing to send their assets abroad, perhaps to avoid financial or legal sanctions, and that others have been shredding incriminating documents.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The Golden Knights came flying out of the starting blocks, shredding the Mammoth with an unrelenting forecheck and scoring three straight goals to open the game.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
But the show’s interest in shredding these awful creatures has started to feel too narrow in purpose.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Today, that content is a 17-year-old miniature horse named Black Pearl absolutely shredding an electric keyboard in a children’s hospital.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Satriani and Vai have sustained their respective careers as forward-looking, envelope-shredding solo artists, composers and band leaders since the 1980s.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Sugar became a familiar sight in the surf over the last 16 years, a small white pup who was often shredding at the Huntington Beach Pier among the locals.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shredding
Verb
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The 20-year-old was a persistent nuisance pressing Swiss defenders and nearly produced a highlight-reel goal, ripping a powerful shot that Gregor Kobel tipped onto the crossbar with a spectacular save in the 49th minute.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
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The fixtures, the beautiful chandeliers, ripping the wood out of the floor, selling off anything.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
That would be an enormous lift to Green Bay’s offense, as Kraft was having an All-Pro level season in 2025 before tearing his ACL.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Lee, who relieved fans by hitting his old high notes on night one, sounded even stronger on night two, gleefully tearing into the most challenging corners of their catalog.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shredding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shredding. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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