shred1 /ʃred/ noun 1 [countableC]CUTTEAR a small thin piece that is torn or cut roughly from something 〔撕下或切下的〕细条,碎片tear/rip something to shreds The clothes were ripped to shreds and covered in blood. 衣服被撕成了碎片,上面血迹斑斑。
2 tear/rip something to shreds to criticize something very severely 把某事物批评得体无完肤 Within a year, other researchers had torn the theory to shreds. 不到一年,其他研究者就把这一理论批驳得体无完肤。
tear/rip something to shreds• Its springtime for President Bill Clinton as he watches his Republican challengers rip each other to shreds.• Within two years, other researchers had torn it to shreds.• They would have torn Corbett to shreds if the grille had been raised.• They didn't have a humidifier and it's torn my voice to shreds.• Other than the chance to rip it to shreds.• They snarled at them as if they were criminals and took their papers as if they'd like to tear them to shreds.• And the politicians, thank goodness, have only so much money with which to rip each other to shreds.• The agony of such a torment would tear her to shreds. 3 in shreds a) TEARtorn in many places 破烂的,破碎的 Uncle Earl was exhausted and his shirt hung in shreds. 厄尔舅舅精疲力竭,衬衫也破破烂烂地挂在身上。
b) DESTROYcompletely ruined 彻底毁掉的 His ambitious plan was in shreds. 他那雄心勃勃的计划彻底失败了。
If Myra gossips about this, my reputation will be in shreds. 如果迈拉把这事说出去,那我就名誉扫地了。
4 shred of something LITTLE/NOT MUCHa very small amount of something 一丁点,丝毫 There’s not a shred of doubt (=no doubt at all) in my mind that we will win. 我心里丝毫不怀疑我们会赢。
He does not have a shred of evidence (=he has no evidence at all) to prove his claim. 他没有任何证据可以证明他的说法。
the last shred of hope 最后的一线希望
not ... a shred of evidence• For such a contention there would seem to be not a shred of evidence.• If she did, he didn't know what he would do; he had not a shred of evidence.• There is not a shred of evidence that voters trust the Tories to do a better job than Labour. shred of• a shred of paper
From Longman Business Dictionary
shredshred /ʃred/ (shredded, shredding) verb [transitiveT] to cut documents into small pieces so that no one can read themInvestigators retrieved documents that had been thrown away or shredded.