shred

American  

[shred] / ʃrɛd /

noun

1. a piece cut or torn off, especially in a narrow strip.

2. a bit; scrap.

   We haven't got a shred of evidence.

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verb (used with object)

shredded, shred, shredding

1. to cut or tear into small pieces, especially small strips; reduce to shreds.

   I shred my credit card statement every month.

verb (used without object)

shredded, shred, shredding

1. to be cut up, torn, etc..

   The blouse had shredded in the wash.

2. Slang. to snowboard, skateboard, surf, or ski in a highly skilled or showily spectacular manner.

   I bought a new action camera that I can mount to my helmet—stay tuned for rad videos of me shredding when I hit the slopes next weekend.

3. Slang. to play guitar very quickly with specific picking techniques, as during an electric guitar solo.

   Fans in the mosh pit go wild when Eddie shreds on lead guitar.

shred British  

/ ʃrɛd /

noun

1. a long narrow strip or fragment torn or cut off

2. a very small piece or amount; scrap

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verb

1. (tr) to tear or cut into shreds

Other Word Forms

• shredder noun
• shredless adjective
• shredlike adjective
• unshredded adjective

Etymology

Origin of shred

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun shrede, schrede, shredd, Old English scrēade, scrēad “a cutting, a scrap”; cognate with Old Norse skrjōthr “worn-out book,” German Schrot “chips”; Middle English verb schreden “to chop, cut up,” Old English scrēadian “to pare, trim, prune (trees)”; akin to shroud; screed

Example Sentences

All those combined Calcutta Cup teams that people did pre-match - Scotland had an average of three or four players in a joint side - were ripped to shreds.

From BBC

Thundering drums and shredding guitar solos cut through the crowd as pyrotechnics and streamer cannons blast.

From Los Angeles Times

Most of us can only dream about becoming the talk of the office by shredding like a pro.

From The Wall Street Journal

The global catastrophe killed an estimated 20 million people, according to the UN health agency, while shredding economies, crippling health systems and turning people's lives upside-down.

From Barron's

By the time I reach the kitchen, I’ve torn the postcard to shreds.

From Literature

Related Words

• fragment
• iota
• modicum
• ounce
• sliver
• smidgen
• snippet
• speck
• whit