piece vs shred

piece

verb
  • To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out. 

  • To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag. 

  • To assemble (something real or figurative). 

noun
  • An ounce of a recreational drug. 

  • A distance. 

  • A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency. 

  • A cannabis pipe. 

  • An artillery gun. 

  • An amount of work to be done at one time; a unit of piece work. 

  • One of the figures used in playing chess, specifically a higher-value figure as distinguished from a pawn; by extension, a similar counter etc. in other games. 

  • A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts. 

  • A shoddy or worthless object (usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances). 

  • A structured practice row, often used for performance evaluation. 

  • An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc. 

  • An article published in the press. 

  • A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail. 

  • Used to describe a pitch that has been hit but not well, usually either being caught by the opposing team or going foul. Usually used in the past tense with get. 

  • A single item belonging to a class of similar items. 

  • A gun. 

  • A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack. 

  • A pacifier; a dummy. 

  • A toupee or wig, especially when worn by a man. 

shred

verb
  • To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips. 

  • To become separated into small portions. 

  • To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition. 

  • 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. 

  • To reduce (something) by a large percentage; to slash. 

  • To separate (something) into small portions. 

  • Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast. 

  • To cut (fruit peel, a vegetable, etc.) into thin strips that curl. 

  • To convincingly defeat (someone); to thrash, to trounce. 

  • To travel swiftly using a snowboard, surfboard, or vehicle. 

  • To destroy (a document) by cutting or tearing into strips or small pieces that cannot easily be read, especially using a shredder. 

adj
  • Synonym of shredded (“cut or torn into narrow strips or small pieces”) 

noun
  • A thin strip of fruit peel, a vegetable, etc., cut so that it curls. 

  • 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. 

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

  • A shard or sherd (“a piece of broken glass or pottery”). 

How often have the words piece and shred occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )