dust

American  

[duhst] / dʌst /

noun

1. earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.

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

3. any finely powdered substance, as sawdust.

4. the ground; the earth's surface.

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

6. British.

   1. ashes, refuse, etc.

   2. junk.

7. a low or humble condition.

8. anything worthless.

9. disturbance; turmoil.

10. gold dust.

11. the mortal body of a human being.

12. a single particle or grain.

13. Archaic. money; cash.

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verb (used with object)

1. to wipe the dust from.

   to dust a table.

2. to sprinkle with a powder or dust.

   to dust rosebushes with an insecticide.

3. to strew or sprinkle (a powder, dust, or other fine particles).

   to dust insecticide on a rosebush.

4. to soil with dust; make dusty.

verb (used without object)

1. to wipe dust from furniture, woodwork, etc.

2. to become dusty.

3. to apply dust or powder to a plant, one's body, etc..

   to dust with an insecticide in late spring.

idioms

1. 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.

2. lick the dust,

   1. to be killed; die.

   2. to humble oneself abjectly; grovel.

      He will resign rather than lick the dust.

3. 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.

4. make the dust fly, to execute with vigor or speed.

   We turned them loose on the work, and they made the dust fly.

5. 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.

6. bite the dust,

   1. to be killed, especially in battle; die.

   2. to suffer defeat; be unsuccessful; fail.

      Another manufacturer has bitten the dust.

7. dust off,

   1. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to throw the ball purposely at or dangerously close to (the batter).

   2. 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.

   3. to beat up badly.

      The gang of hoodlums dusted off a cop.

dust British  

/ dʌst /

noun

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

2. a cloud of such fine particles

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

4. 1. the mortal body of man

   2. the corpse of a dead person

5. the earth; ground

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

7. something of little or no worth

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

9. short for gold dust

10. ashes or household refuse

11. 1. to fail completely or cease to exist

    2. to fall down dead

12. something that is very disappointing

13. to outdo someone or something comprehensively or with ease

    leaving their competitors in the dust

14. to depart angrily or contemptuously

15. to confuse or mislead

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verb

1. (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

2. to remove dust by wiping, sweeping, or brushing

3. archaic to make or become dirty with dust

dust More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dust

• 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

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Other Word Forms

• dustless adjective
• redust verb (used with object)
• undusted adjective
• well-dusted adjective

Etymology

Origin of dust

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

Example Sentences

Neo’s returns are leaving the rest of the crowd in the dust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Don’t be surprised, therefore, if the Fed cuts rates by that much as soon as the geopolitical dust settles.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

"It's not a piece of dust, but it's not a meter-size boulder, either."

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

From almost any vantage point, the Salton Sea appears lifeless — a gray expanse rimmed with salt and windblown dust.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

It floated in the air, glittering in the moonlight like bits of gold dust.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• dirt
• earth
• grime
• lint
• powder
• sand
• soil
• soot