Shred Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms shred American [shred] / ʃrɛd /

noun

1. a piece cut or torn off, especially in a narrow strip.

2. a bit; scrap.

   We haven't got a shred of evidence.

verb (used with object)

shredded, shred, shredding

1. 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)

shredded, shred, shredding

1. to be cut up, torn, etc..

   The blouse had shredded in the wash.

2. 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.

3. 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.

shred British / ʃrɛd /

noun

1. a long narrow strip or fragment torn or cut off

2. a very small piece or amount; scrap

"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

verb

1. (tr) to tear or cut into shreds

"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

Other Word Forms

• shredder noun
• shredless adjective
• shredlike adjective
• unshredded adjective

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; screed

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.

Currently only plastic recycled through mechanical techniques, which involve washing, shredding, and remelting the stuff, can be used towards the quota.

From Barron's

Last year, France tore Ireland to shreds in the second half, scoring 34 unanswered points in a stunning response to losing Antoine Dupont to injury.

From BBC

She and some 20 other girls are participating in an inaugural Surf Academy which requires they enrol in school, incentivised by the chance to shred waves.

From Barron's

In Dublin last year, not even Dupont's withdrawal after 30 minutes could stop a rampant French side from ripping Ireland to shreds with 34 unanswered second-half points.

From BBC

It was the only shred of my old life left to cling to.

From Literature

Related Words

• fragment
• iota
• modicum
• ounce
• sliver
• smidgen
• snippet
• speck
• whit

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.