dustup
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dustup
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase dust up
Explanation
A dustup is an argument or scuffle. A controversial veto by the President might cause a political dustup. Dustup was coined during the late 19th century, from the idea that fighting in the streets would raise some dust — an earlier phrase was kick up a dust, or "cause an uproar." A dustup can be a physical altercation: "After their dustup in the hallway, they were both suspended from school." But it's most commonly used for squabbles, like the dustup between you and your neighbors over your loud music.
Vocabulary lists containing dustup
The Nickel Boys
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Courage to Soar
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Lifting as We Climb
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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.
To understand why, see this week’s dustup over CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert’s interview with Talarico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
There was a dustup with 10 seconds left when UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. pushed Wisconsin’s Nolan Winter after absorbing a hard foul, forcing a scrum of players to congregate along the baseline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
Fosado told the Journal Sentinel that the dustup didn’t alter his opinion of Brewers fans.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2025
The whole dustup ended quickly, with Amazon saying such a plan was never in consideration for its main site.
From Slate ● May 3, 2025
Lawrence arrived in Belgium only a few weeks after he engaged in a minor dustup with Rutherford, at long range, over the prospects for useful energy from the atomic nucleus.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
