shredder

American  

[shred-er] / ˈʃrɛd ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that shreds.

2. a machine for destroying secret or private documents by shredding shredding them.

3. any of various devices used to shred crops, vegetables, wood, metal, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of shredder

First recorded in 1565–75; shred + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Like the trees cut down and pulverized to make Man-su’s beloved paper products, ultimately we’re all being fed into the shredder.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

“What if the old financial playbook is costing you?” says the text above a graphic of a $100 bill going through a shredder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

A second group was told to destroy the document in a shredder or put it in a plastic box.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2024

The court previously heard Timmins, of Fair Lawn in Albrighton, Shropshire, had been running the shredder when it stopped abruptly.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2023

He climbed his way through small office supplies until he was trading a paper shredder for a laser printer.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon