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

Larry Friedman, a lawyer at Barnes, Richardson & Colburn, remembers arguing a case before Eaton over whether an industrial grinder should be deemed a shredder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

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

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 work had just been auctioned for £1m, when an alarm went off inside the frame and the picture dropped into a hidden shredder.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2023

After the books were transferred they were supposed to go to the shredder, but sometimes I took them home with me.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood