Shred

/ʃɹɛd/ adj, noun, verb, slang

adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A fragment of something; a particle; a piece; also, a very small amount.
  • Grammar: shred is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: abrade, active tearing, adhesive tape, atom.
  • Useful contrasts: no tearing, intact, mend.
  • Usage evidence: Let's shred your wings into small pieces and throw them away.

How to use "shred"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shred" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shred" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shred" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shred" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "shred" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "abrade" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "shred", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A fragment of something; a particle; a piece; also, a very small amount.

    "There isn’t a shred of evidence to support his claims."

  2. 2
    a small piece of cloth wordnet
  3. 3
    A long, narrow piece (especially of fabric) cut or torn off; a strip; specifically, a piece of cloth or clothing.

    "To leaue him that bare a Monarkes minde, / For a king of clovvts, of very ſhreads."

  4. 4
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount wordnet
  5. 5
    A long, narrow piece (especially of fabric) cut or torn off; a strip; specifically, a piece of cloth or clothing.; A thin strand or wisp, as of a cloud, mist, etc. broadly
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A long, narrow piece (especially of fabric) cut or torn off; a strip; specifically, a piece of cloth or clothing.; A thin strip of fruit peel, a vegetable, etc., cut so that it curls.

    "Three shreds of celery in a glass."

  2. 7
    A piece of gold or silver lace or thread. archaic

    "But, vvhen a tvvelvemonth paſs'd avvay, / Jack found his goddeſs made of clay; / Found half the charms that deck'd her face, / Aroſe from povvder, ſhreds, or lace; […]"

  3. 8
    A shard or sherd (“a piece of broken glass or pottery”). rare

    "And when he neared Brandon he pulled up, sorted his pots, kept the whole ones, threw the shreds at the rabbits, and walked on into Brandon solemnly, leading the mare, and crying "Pots!""

  4. 9
    A tailor. obsolete

    "Mer[curie]. Is it ſo, ſir, you impudent Poultroun? you ſlaue, you liſt, you ſhreds, you.— […] Ana[ides]. S'foot, vve muſt vſe our taylors thus."

Verb
  1. 1
    To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips. transitive

    "Take a little grated Bread, ſome Beef-ſuet, yolks of hard Eggs, three Anchovies, a bit of an Onion, Salt and Pepper, Tyme and VVinter-ſavory, tvvelve Oyſters, ſome Nutmeg grated; mix all theſe together, and ſhred them very fine, and vvork them up vvith ravv Eggs like a paſte, and ſtuff your Mutton under the Skin in the thickeſt place, or vvhere you pleaſe, and roaſt it; […]"

  2. 2
    tear into shreds wordnet
  3. 3
    To destroy (a document) by cutting or tearing into strips or small pieces that cannot easily be read, especially using a shredder. specifically, transitive

    "But then there was the awkward incident of the tearing of the writs. Nigel, to whom a lie was an impossibility, had to admit that with his own hands he had shredded those august documents."

  4. 4
    To cut (fruit peel, a vegetable, etc.) into thin strips that curl. specifically, transitive
  5. 5
    To separate (something) into small portions. transitive

    "Hunger was shred into atomies in every farthing porringer of husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil."

Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    To reduce (something) by a large percentage; to slash. figuratively, slang, transitive

    "Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, never wanted his customers to worry about shipping – about how much it cost, or about how long it would take – and he relentlessly shredded delivery times to make shipping incidental to the purchasing experience."

  2. 7
    Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast and in a way that requires technical skill. figuratively, slang, transitive
  3. 8
    To cut through (snow, water, etc.) swiftly with one's snowboard, surfboard, etc.; (by extension) to move or ride along (a road, track, etc.) aggressively and rapidly. figuratively, slang, transitive
  4. 9
    To convincingly defeat (someone); to thrash, to trounce. figuratively, slang, transitive
  5. 10
    To cut or sever (something) into two parts. archaic, transitive

    "Then ſince (quoth ſhe) the terme of each mans life / For nought may leſſened nor enlarged bee, / Graunt this, that vvhen ye ſhred vvith fatall knife / His line, vvhich is the eldeſt of the three, / VVhich of them the ſhorteſt, as I ſee, / Eftſoones his life may paſſe into the next; […]"

  6. 11
    To chop or cut (something) into pieces. obsolete, transitive

    "Another vvafts his Blade about his head, / And ſhevvs them hovv their hãſtrings [hamstrings] he vvil ſhread."

  7. 12
    To cut, lop, or strip (branches, etc.) off; also, to cut (a piece) from something. obsolete, transitive

    "To call in queſtion the iuriſdiction of Archbiſhops, they affirme that no man is to take vpon him an office but hee that is called, as vvas Aaron: but they are not avvare, that the ſame poſition ſhreddeth avvay the vvilde autoritie of doctors, elders, conſiſtorie, conferences, & their abſurd and irregular Synodes, vvhich (as enemies in an aſſault enter the breach) vvould ſteale into the Church through the ruines thereof."

  8. 13
    To prune or trim (a tree, a vineyard, etc.). obsolete, transitive

    "As for Timber-trees, it is beſt not to head them at all, but to ſhred them up to one ſingle Bough, if the Soil be good that you plant them in; […]"

  9. 14
    To become separated into small portions. intransitive

    "We couldn't see over the wall of smoke, and we couldn't see through it. But at last it began to shred away lazily, and by the end of another quarter-hour the land was clear and our curiosity was enabled to satisfy itself. No living creature was in sight!"

  10. 15
    To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition. intransitive
  11. 16
    To travel swiftly using a snowboard, surfboard, or vehicle. intransitive, usually
Adjective
  1. 1
    Synonym of shredded (“cut or torn into narrow strips or small pieces”).

    "The ſtinging alſo of ſhred Horſ-hair, which in meriment is often ſtrew'd between the ſheets of a Bed, ſeems to proceed from the ſame cauſe."

Synonyms

All synonyms
abradeactive tearingadhesive tapeatomatomizeband

Antonyms

no tearingintactmendmuch

Example

"Let's shred your wings into small pieces and throw them away."

Common questions

What does "shred" mean?

A fragment of something; a particle; a piece; also, a very small amount.

What is a synonym for "shred"?

Common synonyms include: abrade, active tearing, adhesive tape, atom, atomize, band.

How do you use "shred" in a sentence?

Let's shred your wings into small pieces and throw them away.

How do you pronounce "shred"?

Pronounced /ʃɹɛd/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English shrede, shred (“fragment, piece, scrap; piece cut off from something; strip of material; ornamental strip hanging from the edge of a garment; thread; band or thread woven in a garment; element, streak; plant (?)”) [and other forms], from Late Old English sċrēad, sċrēade (“piece cut off from something; a paring; a shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudō (“a piece, shred; a crack; a cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). Doublet of escrow.

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Middle English shreden, shred (“to chop, cut up; to cut, hack; to wound with a knife; to cut off a part of (something); to prune, trim”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrēadian (“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”), from Proto-West Germanic *skraudōn, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up; to shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudaną (“to cut up; to shred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). The adjective is derived from the past participle form of the verb.

More for "shred"

Synonyms

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