dust

 
Pronunciation: /dʌst/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air: the car sent up clouds of dust
  • [with modifier] any material in the form of tiny particles: coal dust
  • [in singular] a fine powder: he ground it into a fine dust
  • [in singular] a cloud of dust.
  • literary a dead person’s remains: scatter my dust and ashes
  • literary the mortal human body: the soul, that dwells within your dust
  • 2 [in singular] an act of dusting: a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs

verb

[with object]
  • 1remove the dust or dirt from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it: I broke the vase I had been dusting pick yourself up and dust yourself down [no object]: she washed and dusted and tidied
  • (dust something down/off) bring something out for use again after a long period of neglect: a number of aircraft will be dusted off and returned to flight
  • 2cover lightly with a powdered substance: roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar
  • sprinkle (a powdered substance) on to something: orange powder was dusted over the upper body
  • 3US informal beat up or kill someone: the officers dusted him up a little bit

Phrases

be done and dusted

informal (of a project) be completely finished or ready.

dust and ashes

used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something: the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn’t come

the dust settles

things quieten down: she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten

eat someone's dust

North American informal fall far behind someone in a competitive situation.

gather (or collect) dust

remain unused: some professors let their computers gather dust

leave someone/thing in the dust

surpass someone or something easily: today’s modems leave their predecessors in the dust

not see someone for dust

find that a person has made a hasty departure.

kick up (a) dust

informal create a disturbance.

Derivatives

dustless

adjective

Origin:

Old English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist 'chaff'