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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.
junk.
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
informala 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
to fail completely or cease to exist
to fall down dead
something that is very disappointing
to outdo someone or something comprehensively or with ease
leaving their competitors in the dust
to depart angrily or contemptuously
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
archaicto make or become dirty with dust
Other Word Forms
- dustless adjective
- redust verb (used with object)
- undusted adjective
- well-dusted adjective
- ˈܲٱ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of dust1
Word History and Origins
Origin of dust1
Idioms and Phrases
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.
lick the dust,
to be killed; die.
to humble oneself abjectly; grovel.
He will resign rather than lick the dust.
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.
make the dust fly, to execute with vigor or speed.
We turned them loose on the work, and they made the dust fly.
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.
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.
Example Sentences
"To me, it makes no difference you know?" he continued, "because he's gone, from ashes to dust and back to God."
When they emerged minutes later, they found their windows shattered and layers of dust and debris strewn across the front room.
The dust is still in the air and we won't know until it settles what changes have taken place.
Over at Tony’s Barber Shop on the next block over, one of the barbers dusted hair off her chair as her customer got up to leave.
John grows his own fruit and vegetables but after three years of construction work next to his house he said he has had to "restart the garden from scratch" due to the dirt and dust.
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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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