To cut or tear into small pieces; also, to cut or tear pieces from.To tear into pieces, either small and irregular, or long in proportion to their width; tear into ragged bits, scraps, or strips: as, to shred old linen.To prune; lop; trim, as a pole or a hedge.n. A bit, scrap, fragment, rag, or strip made by cutting or tearing up something: used specifically of cloth or list for nailing up plants.n. Figuratively, a bit; a particle; also, something that is like a scrap or fragment in being worn or valueless, or in having a forlorn appearance.