shred
Americannoun
-
shreds
plural
-
a piece cut or torn off, especially in a narrow strip.
-
a bit; scrap.
We haven't got a shred of evidence.
verb (used with object)
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shreds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shredded,
past participle, past
-
shred,
past participle
-
shredding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
shreds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shredded,
past participle, past
-
shred,
past participle
-
shredding
present participle
-
to be cut up, torn, etc..
The blouse had shredded in the wash.
-
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.
-
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.
noun
-
a long narrow strip or fragment torn or cut off
-
a very small piece or amount; scrap
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shredsimple
-
shredssimple
-
have shredperfect
-
have shreddedperfect
-
has shredperfect
-
has shreddedperfect
-
am shreddingprogressive
-
are shreddingprogressive
-
is shreddingprogressive
-
have been shreddingperfect progressive
-
has been shreddingperfect progressive
Past
-
shreddedsimple
-
had shredperfect
-
had shreddedperfect
-
was shreddingprogressive
-
were shreddingprogressive
-
had been shreddingperfect progressive
Future
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; cf. screed
Vocabulary lists containing shred
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Now comes Good Hang, the hit podcast that sends her straight into listeners’ ears without a shred of armor from a fictional character, just a voice that bounds from joyful to subversive to sincere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Once the chicken is cooked, I pull it out to shred later, while the vegetables underneath — softened in chicken fat, lemon and all those browned juices — become the base of the soup.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
"If they have even a shred of honour, the first thing they should do would be to stop the negotiations," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
But Anthony Sanft, Davis’ defense lawyer, argued that the prosecution had no forensics, no eyewitness, and not a single shred of physical evidence placing Davis in the Cadillac with the shooter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The mouse found a shred of cheese and turned it in its tiny paws as if attempting to discern its edibility.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
But the former employee described a "very paradoxical" individual protective of his employees but also capable, within Nvidia's executive circle, of "ripping people to shreds" over mistakes or poor decisions.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026
“I was always amazed at how she tore delicate shreds of meat from her catch and then so tenderly fed her chicks,” said Long Beach resident Erica Motamed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
I’ll occasionally pull out the bag to snack on a few shreds of meat in between meals.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
I swirled a half-cup around the crust and dolloped it with fat shreds of fresh mozzarella and torn basil leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The shreds of the black cloak he tore off and scattered.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Salvation Army collects the items and those that cannot be reused in their current form are shredded and melted.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Mekhala Lemongrass Turmeric Paste: Just this week, I stirred a spoonful into a soup base of frozen onions, garlic and ginger, then added coconut cream, frozen mushrooms, shredded carrots, leftover rice and shredded rotisserie chicken.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
His father was a former Sergeant Major in the Parachute Regiment whose experience during the wartime evacuation of Dunkirk had shredded his mental health.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The typical ingredients: peanut butter or almond butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, oatmeal and shredded coconut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Yes,” Ugwu said, although he had sworn never to eat Harrison’s food after he dropped by Mr. Richard’s house and saw Harrison spooning shredded orange peels into a pot of sauce.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Pushing it through the teeth of the City Hall grinder without the wholesale shredding of good intentions is a tougher trick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
Getting rid of stuff is something we do nearly every week, through donating, trashing and shredding.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
Commercial processing can magnify certain food-safety risks, including chopping and shredding in large facilities where a single contaminated leaf can mix with other produce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Start by shredding your rotisserie chicken into the bag.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
Giddy, he sashayed over to the cages where the dogs were destroying their chew toys, shredding them to pieces.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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