shred

Definition

  • noun: a long, thin piece cut or torn off of something
  • noun: a long narrow strip cut or torn off
  • verb: to cut or tear (something) into long, thin pieces
  • verb: to cut off
  • often + 'of'
  • synonyms: strip, piece, particle

Examples

  • Critics 'picked/pulled/tore/ripped the movie to shreds'. [=criticized the movie very severely]

  • He 'shredded' the documents. [=he put the documents into a shredder to cut them into pieces]

  • An air attack tore the village 'to shreds'. [=completely destroyed the village]

Movie clips

Movie quotes

  • (..) - Surrounded by living tissue. - Oh, right. Great stuff. I could make a career out of this guy. See how clever it is? It doesn't require a shred of proof. Most paranoid delusions are intricate, but this is brilliant. - Why were the other women killed? - Records were lost in the war. (..)
    1984 The Terminator
  • (..) Hermione-- Cormac. He's vile. Have you ever heard of the spell: Sectumsempra? No, I haven't. If you had a shred of self-respect, you'd hand that book in. Not bloody likely. He's top of the class. He's even better than you, Hermione. Slughorn thinks (..)
    2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • (..) - Bullshit. - You were asking questions. - Bullshit. Bullshit? We came in for Rachel Solando? Where is one shred of evidence that she even existed? There's no way they could of known I'd be assigned to this case. No way... While you were looking into them, they were looking into you. (..)
    2010 Shutter Island