dust

[ duhst ]

/ dʌst /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: dust / dusted / dusting on Thesaurus.com

noun

earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.

a cloud of finely powdered earth or other matter in the air.

any finely powdered substance, as sawdust.

the ground; the earth's surface.

the substance to which something, as the dead human body, is ultimately reduced by disintegration or decay; earthly remains.

British.

ashes, refuse, etc.
junk¹ (def. 1).

a low or humble condition.

anything worthless.

disturbance; turmoil.

gold dust.

the mortal body of a human being.

a single particle or grain.

Archaic. money; cash.

verb (used with object)

to wipe the dust from: to dust a table.

to sprinkle with a powder or dust: to dust rosebushes with an insecticide.

to strew or sprinkle (a powder, dust, or other fine particles): to dust insecticide on a rosebush.

to soil with dust; make dusty.

verb (used without object)

to wipe dust from furniture, woodwork, etc.

to become dusty.

to apply dust or powder to a plant, one's body, etc.: to dust with an insecticide in late spring.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about dust

bite the dust,

to be killed, especially in battle; die.
to suffer defeat; be unsuccessful; fail: Another manufacturer has bitten the dust.

dust off,

Baseball. (of a pitcher) to throw the ball purposely at or dangerously close to (the batter).
to take out or prepare for use again, as after a period of inactivity or storage: I'm going to dust off my accounting skills and try to get a job in the finance department.
to beat up badly: The gang of hoodlums dusted off a cop.

leave one in the dust, to overtake and surpass a competitor or one who is less ambitious, qualified, etc.: Don't be so meek, they'll leave you in the dust.

lick the dust,

to be killed; die.
to humble oneself abjectly; grovel: He will resign rather than lick the dust.

make the dust fly, to execute with vigor or speed: We turned them loose on the work, and they made the dust fly.

shake the dust from one's feet, to depart in anger or disdain; leave decisively or in haste, especially from an unpleasant situation: As the country moved toward totalitarianism, many of the intelligentsia shook the dust from their feet.

throw dust in someone's eyes, to mislead; deceive: He threw dust in our eyes by pretending to be a jeweler and then disappeared with the diamonds.

Origin of dust

before 900; Middle English; Old English dūst; cognate with German Dunst vapor

OTHER WORDS FROM dust

dustless, adjectivere·dust, verb (used with object)un·dust·ed, adjectivewell-dusted, adjective

Words nearby dust

dusky, dusky grouse, dusky shark, Dussek, Düsseldorf, dust, dust ball, dust-bath, dust-bathe, dustbin, Dust Bowl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dust in a sentence

Its dust collection system captures up to 75 percent of dust generated by your project so clean up is easy.
Make every project a breeze with the right miter saw|PopSci Commerce Team|August 26, 2020|Popular-Science
Now its frozen gases regularly vaporize under solar heat, releasing clouds of dust that make the jets and streamers visible.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
Now research suggests that dust particles can become fomites, too.
Dust can infect animals with flu, raising coronavirus concerns|Erin Garcia de Jesus|August 24, 2020|Science News For Students
Electric fields associated with dust lifting could affect the performance and lifetime of hardware on Mars, Grossman says, “although I don’t think it was the critical factor for Phoenix or Opportunity.”
Readers ask about Mars dust storms, Fermi bubbles and more|Science News Staff|August 23, 2020|Science News

It formed some 680 million years ago from a large cloud of gas and dust in the Milky Way.
Milky Way’s tidal forces are shredding a nearby star cluster|Ken Croswell|August 18, 2020|Science News For Students
Estee Lauder has not crumbled to dust because the perfect brown face of Joan Smalls represents it.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem|Danielle Belton|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, trucks, dust, and boomtown stress are the effects of any large-scale industrial activity.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That is a lot of air pollution, noise, and yet more kicking up of dust.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban|Jay Michaelson|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I have full faith that this will happen,” Williams says, prepping her fairy dust for a flurry of happy thoughts.
The Cast of ‘Peter Pan Live!’ Knows You Hatewatched ‘The Sound of Music’|Kevin Fallon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If we enter with hammer in hand, we may leave with merely dust and rubble on our faces.
For Rent: Priceless Historic Sites|Elinor Betesh|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the aperture of the window, amid piles of paper, stood a rickety old table, covered with dust.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
It was little better than coal dust, and would not carry a ball fifty paces to kill or wound.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Never mind the dust; I've turned it on to make believe we're going tremendously fast.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
He laid it upon the floor, and took out a plaster mask, and brushing and blowing off the saw-dust, held it up.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
When the smoke and dust cleared away nothing stirred on the whole of that piece of ground.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for dust

dust

/ (dʌst) /

noun

dry fine powdery material, such as particles of dirt, earth or pollen

a cloud of such fine particles

the powdery particles to which something is thought to be reduced by death, decay, or disintegration

the mortal body of man
the corpse of a dead person

the earth; ground

informal a disturbance; fuss (esp in the phrases kick up a dust, raise a dust)

something of little or no worth

informal (in mining parlance) silicosis or any similar respiratory disease

short for gold dust

ashes or household refuse

bite the dust

to fail completely or cease to exist
to fall down dead

dust and ashes something that is very disappointing

leave someone or something in the dust to outdo someone or something comprehensively or with easeleaving their competitors in the dust

shake the dust off one's feet to depart angrily or contemptuously

throw dust in the eyes of to confuse or mislead

verb

(tr) to sprinkle or cover (something) with (dust or some other powdery substance)to dust a cake with sugar; to dust sugar onto a cake

to remove dust by wiping, sweeping, or brushing

archaic to make or become dirty with dust

Derived forms of dust

dustless, adjective

Word Origin for dust

Old English dūst; related to Danish dyst flour dust, Middle Dutch dūst dust, meal dust, Old High German tunst storm

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with dust

dust

In addition to the idiom beginning with dust

dust off

also see:

bite the dust
dry as dust
in the dust
make the dust fly
shake the dust from one's feet
throw dust in someone's eyes
watch my dust
when the dust has settled

dust

Idioms about dust

Origin of dust

OTHER WORDS FROM dust

Words nearby dust

Words related to dust

How to use dust in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dust

Derived forms of dust

Word Origin for dust

Other Idioms and Phrases with dust