shred

[ shred ]

/ ʃrɛd /

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See synonyms for: shred / shredded / shredding on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), shred·ded or shred, shred·ding.

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), shred·ded or shred, shred·ding.

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM shred

shred·less, adjectiveshred·like, adjectiveun·shred·ded, adjective

Words nearby shred

shr., shraddha, shrank, shrapnel, shreadhead, shred, shredded wheat, shredder, shredding, Shreveport, shrew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shred in a sentence

Once you get through that basic consideration, you might want to consider other features like vacuuming and mulching features, which store and shred yard waste.
Best leaf blower to tame your wild yard|empire|July 20, 2021|Popular-Science
It efficiently separates the meat from the bones and helps tear the chicken into jagged strips and shreds.
This take on bang bang chicken is spicy, sour and quick enough for a weeknight|Daniela Galarza|July 8, 2021|Washington Post
I stashed them in the back of my closet until early spring, when my old boots tore my feet to shreds on my first 15-plus-miler of the season.
The Hoka Speedgoat Mids Cured My Blisters|Kaelyn Lynch|June 30, 2021|Outside Online
He said, “Really, if you carefully look at these studies, there’s not a shred of evidence that self-esteem causes these outcomes.”
How to Manage Your Goal Hierarchy (Ep. 458)|Steven D. Levitt|April 15, 2021|Freakonomics

For all of the faux-cheese shreds, slices, wheels, and spreads now available, most consumers, even the vegan-curious ones, have no idea what’s out there.
Vegan Cheese Is Ready to Compete With Dairy. Is the World Ready to Eat It?|Alicia Kennedy|April 1, 2021|Eater
“I was so paranoid that I would shred the receipts,” she said.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For 381 days, no black person in Montgomery with a shred of self-esteem rode the bus.
How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow|Dennis McNally|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But is it really worth eliminating that final shred of danger?
Are Water Filters B.S.?|Michael Schulson|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Online diagnoses are delivered hyperbolically and without a shred of bedside manner.
Strangers Diagnose Your Illness and Get Cash in Return|Kevin Zawacki|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chris McDaniel is now saying the “election was stolen” without providing a shred of evidence.
Chris McDaniel Confirms the Worst GOP Stereotypes|Stuart Stevens|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When this last shred of hope was gone, the Brigadier reluctantly gave the order to retreat.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
She was ill, though, when they telegraphed for me; her life for three days and nights hanging on a shred.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Around us rose the broken, straggling walls, bare and bleak, without a shred of ivy or wall-flower to hide their grim nakedness.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
The moon changed and still the same hot dry sky, with only now and then a shred of cloud floating lazily across the blue.
The Shepherd of the Hills|Harold Bell Wright
Every shred of the old pretence of the pertinacities and annoyances of strangers had fallen from her.
In Accordance with the Evidence|Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for shred

shred

/ (ʃrɛd) /

noun

a long narrow strip or fragment torn or cut off

a very small piece or amount; scrap

verb shreds, shredding, shredded or shred

(tr) to tear or cut into shreds

Derived forms of shred

shredder, noun

Word Origin for shred

Old English scread; related to Old Norse skrjōthr torn-up book, Old High German scrōt cut-off piece; see scroll, shroud, screed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shred

Origin of shred

OTHER WORDS FROM shred

Words nearby shred

Words related to shred

How to use shred in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shred

Derived forms of shred

Word Origin for shred