shreds 1 of 2

Definition of shredsnext
plural of shred

shreds

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shred
as in rips
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it shredded some cooked chicken for the soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shreds
Noun
Microplastics are tiny and sometimes invisible shreds of plastic that can be produced by the breakdown of plastic, the shedding of clothing fibers, manufacturing processes, and more. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026 Rather than melting, the tangy, creamy pimento cheese spread, with cheese shreds still intact, created a bright counterpoint to the charred Angus beef smash burger. Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026 The shreds will quickly soften in a few minutes at room temperature. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026 Serve the sandwiches with frozen French fries jazzed up with bits of parsley, coarse salt, black pepper, and parmesan shreds. Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 4 Mar. 2026 Depending on the variety of marmalade, the rind can be cut into thick pieces or into tiny shreds. Amy Sherman, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026 Shooting stars appear when shreds of space debris ranging in size from a grain of sand to a small asteroid collide with Earth while travelling at tens of thousands of miles per hour, only to burn up in a fiery naked-eye display as they're overwhelmed by the friction of atmospheric entry. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025 The Riverside native shreds lesser defenses beyond the arc and above the break. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 Remove the skin, then use two forks to separate the meat into evenly-sized shreds. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
Trump admin official shreds NY Times over multiple corrections to report on Silicon Valley initiative. FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026 Pour the soup mixture over the vegetables and continue to cook until the chicken easily shreds with a fork. Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026 This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation. Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026 This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation. Time Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026 The Food Processor quickly chops, slices and shreds a wide array of ingredients for unlimited culinary creations while the Coffee & Spice Grinder efficiently grinds coffee beans, spices and herbs for superior flavor and potency. Tory Johnson, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026 In competition, Kim shreds with a glowing confidence. Aaron Tolentino, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 Williams cheerfully shreds the culture’s postlapsarian fantasies of childhood. Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026 The signal revealed to a team of scientists that LFBOTs are the result of extreme Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs), in which a black hole with a mass up to 100 times that of the sun, completely shreds a companion star in just a matter of days. Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shreds
Noun
  • Harry & Meghan and With Love, Meghan represent Archewell Productions’ biggest splashes in Hollywood by far, but the company has also had its hands in an array of other documentaries, the most recent of which, Cookie Queens, premiered at Sundance in January.
    Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The dramatist’s mode is broader and brasher, calculated for the sweep of the stage rather than the close-up, with splashes of color and humor that can verge on camp.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Continue reading … ROBES RIVALRY — Liberal justice Elena Kagan rips colleague Jackson's dissent in rare public break.
    , FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Then a man comes in from behind and rips down their banner.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage, and seams.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage and seams.
    Jenna Prestininzi, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • As the GIs raise their guns, a pudgy hand in the backseat tears a strip of white cloth from his companion’s petticoat for the chauffeur to hang out the window.
    Alice Kaplan, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
  • If the oyster tears slightly, don’t panic; flavor matters much more than perfection.
    Rai Mincey, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
  • But there are glimmers of hope beyond the carnage, too.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • About 80 times heavier than protons, W bosons are among the heaviest of nature’s fundamental particles, which can’t be broken down into smaller bits.
    Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026
  • There may be no documents in the libraries, but the trees hold bits and shards of this land’s collective memory.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Nanny Aimee -- our second in command -- was moving through the far corners of the house, waking up each of the littles, kissing sleepy eyelids, tugging my two toddlers gently forward into the day.
    Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Strong adults will let the littles (who really should not be skiing with their own poles yet in most cases) grab their pole.
    Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • My grandmother’s version typically called just for the addition of generous sprinklings of Lawry’s garlic salt and black pepper—and that’s it.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shreds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shreds. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.

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