dust off
Idioms-
Restore to use. For example, I've dusted off last year's menu for the party . This usage alludes to cleaning and thereby renewing some object. [Mid-1900s]
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Pitch a baseball dangerously close to the batter's head, as in I'm sure he dusted him off on purpose . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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Finish off, kill; also, easily defeat. For example, They vowed to dust off the old man , or We'll dust off this team in no time . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Thrash, beat up, as in If he didn't hand over his wallet, they threatened to dust him off . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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.
Time to dust off the crystal ball once more and have a crack at predicting where the 20 Premier League teams will finish this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
We are still early in the Warsh chairmanship, but investors will need to dust off their macro muscles.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
“And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them,” Jesus said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
“I’m shaking the dust off my old guitar and taking lessons again,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Aunt Kitty was brushing dust off her sleeves as we let our horses walk along the lane outside Atkinson.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
