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dust
[ duhst ]
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.
- a low or humble condition.
- anything worthless.
- disturbance; turmoil.
- 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.
dust
/ ʌ /
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 ashessomething that is very disappointing
- leave someone or something in the dustto outdo someone or something comprehensively or with ease
leaving their competitors in the dust
- shake the dust off one's feetto depart angrily or contemptuously
- throw dust in the eyes ofto 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
- ˈܲٱ, adjective
Other Word Forms
- ܲl adjective
- ·ܲ verb (used with object)
- ܲ·ܲĻ adjective
- ɱ-ܲĻ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of dust1
Word History and Origins
Origin of dust1
Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
More idioms and phrases containing dust
In addition to the idiom beginning with dust , 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 .Example Sentences
Experts on the ground there say people are unable to manage the risks posed by asbestos or dust inhalation due to the more immediate dangers of Israel's military offensive.
It might even be time to dust off the BBQ and apply the sunscreen.
“The level of zeolite dusting is similar to how you would dust a countertop with flour if you were rolling dough,” he said, noting he purchased zeolite in 25-pound tubs from Home Depot.
"The big jump in fear was going from peanut dust to half a whole nut."
Pointing to another that looks like a black and orange meringue with gold dusting, he explains: "This is a real mystery - we don't even know what it is made of."
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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.
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