crop-dusting

American

[krop-duhs-ting] / ˈkrɒpˌdʌs tɪŋ /

noun

the spraying of powdered fungicides or insecticides on crops, usually from an airplane.

crop-dusting British

noun

the spreading of fungicide, etc on crops in the form of dust, often from an aircraft

"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

Usage

What else does crop-dusting mean? In slang, crop-dusting is the act of moving while passing gas, usually silently, thereby “dusting” other people or an area with the gas.

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.

Smith will be 73 this July, and has decided it’s time to retire from crop dusting, The Augusta Chronicle reported .

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2018

A vital part of the process, as he sees it, is crop dusting.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2016

However, new research on kangaroo crop dusting suggests this isn't true.

From US News • Nov. 5, 2015

Officials say the helicopter may have been crop dusting when it went down near Highways 20 and 75.

From Washington Times • Aug. 8, 2015

Possible uses include pipeline inspection, crop dusting and traffic monitoring.

From Reuters • Apr. 12, 2013

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