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
Even factory resets may leave traces of data, so some recyclers will go as far as shredding a device's hard drive — and verify it's been destroyed.
—
ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Tonight, the spider will continue its lattice; tonight, the crystals will sprout spines, shredding my soft tissues.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Prepare this dish by shredding the chicken and chopping the carrots and leeks up to two days in advance.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
In the right hands, even the humblest city EV can become an unhinged, albeit highly entertaining, tire-shredding science experiment.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
The mechanical process involves reclaiming and shredding pre-consumer footwear uppers in a closed-loop method to create ThermoPlume PrimaLoft ReRun material.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Schools now can rethink their football status, which could mean shredding those schedules.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Right now your cat is probably shredding your bedspread in a ravenous rage.
—Molly Aitken, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
But for anyone seeking the kind of shredding catharsis that just can't be recorded, the crew have also planned a global farewell tour.
—Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Tonight, the spider will continue its lattice; tonight, the crystals will sprout spines, shredding my soft tissues.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Prepare this dish by shredding the chicken and chopping the carrots and leeks up to two days in advance.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
In the right hands, even the humblest city EV can become an unhinged, albeit highly entertaining, tire-shredding science experiment.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
The mechanical process involves reclaiming and shredding pre-consumer footwear uppers in a closed-loop method to create ThermoPlume PrimaLoft ReRun material.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Schools now can rethink their football status, which could mean shredding those schedules.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Right now your cat is probably shredding your bedspread in a ravenous rage.
—Molly Aitken, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
But for anyone seeking the kind of shredding catharsis that just can't be recorded, the crew have also planned a global farewell tour.
—Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shredding
Verb
-
The thing is an almost-four-hour-long continuous explosion — actors dancing, grappling, and hurling furniture; the director present onstage ripping pieces out of the set; paint and blood and flowers and feathers everywhere.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
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Yet Grace is the one who wakes up in space, and this story emerges nonlinearly, narrative flashbacks like bursts of memory ripping through his brain, discombobulated after a long intergalactic coma.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, videos showed people tearing the coverings off the fixtures later that day.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
On Monday night, residents living near the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in the Afghan capital heard a sharp sound tearing through the sky, followed by an explosion.—
Fazelminallah Qazizai,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shredding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shredding. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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