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)
-
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:
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 Michael 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 ● Sep. 1, 2026
From the opening minute, Belgium absolutely dominated the Americans and squelched every shred of optimism the U.S. had generated among fans about their promising start to the tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Reynie helped him shred the other attempted drawings, too, most of which resembled misshapen balls of yarn with numbered threads.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
I’ll occasionally pull out the bag to snack on a few shreds of meat in between meals.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
His physique had been questioned and he has conceded he is "no stick man" and "will never be ripped to shreds".
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
The departure of Ohtani for zero prospects, zero young stars, nobody … seriously damaged the remaining shreds of trust between their many loyal fans and the team.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 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
Half the pieces are lost, and the shreds we do have are soaking wet.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
“There is everything in the perfect bite,” Moore said of the vaunted marriage of ground beef, shredded cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and rich sour cream in a corn shell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
They tied the largest one to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, which supplies produce to some of America’s biggest retailers and restaurant brands, including Walmart, Costco and Yum Brands’ Taco Bell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The senior running back and veritable rock star shredded the San Diego State defense with three touchdown runs of 8, 7 and 36 yards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Two months ago, epidemiological information collected by the CDC found that thousands of people had become ill after eating Taco Bell meals containing shredded iceberg lettuce between June 22 and July 20.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
He reached up for a box of shredded wheat puffs and repeated the process.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Even Rodrigo’s backing band, full of absolutely shredding women instrumentalists, played beside her on equal footing for exquisitely tasteful, post-punky revisions of songs across her three albums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 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
These are ideal for anything that welcomes a little shredding or chopping: chicken salad, soups, dumplings, maybe a quick stovetop pasta.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
She thought of him that day at the ice cream shop, shredding his paper wrapper.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
