sawdust

American

[saw-duhst] / ˈsɔˌdʌst /

noun

small particles of wood produced in sawing. saw.

sawdust British

/ ˈsɔːˌdʌst /

noun

particles of wood formed by sawing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sawdust

First recorded in 1520–30; saw ¹ + dust

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The boss of sawdust,” Leo says, and the wood starts flying.

From Literature

Weyerhaeuser, America’s largest private landowner, launched a venture to turn runty trees and sawdust from its mills into a replacement for metallurgical coal used in steel making.

From The Wall Street Journal

Abandoning Ukrainians over the specks of sawdust in their eyes would be hypocritical and counter to our interests.

From The Wall Street Journal

Life in a POE was far from ideal, but it was better than being stuffed full of sawdust.

From Literature

The process begins with Permafungi recovering waste materials such as sawdust that are discarded by traditional industries.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023