dust

noun

• 1fine, 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 they rolled and fought in the 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

• 1remove the dust from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it:I broke the vase I had been dusting pick yourself up and dust yourself off [no object]:she washed and dusted and tidied
• (dust something 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
• Baseball (dust someone off) deliver a pitch very near a batter so they must fall to the dirt to avoid being hit by it.

• 2 (usually be dusted) cover lightly with a powdered substance:roll out on a surface dusted with flour
• sprinkle (a powdered substance) onto something:orange powder was dusted over the upper body

• 3US informal beat up or kill someone:the officers dusted him up a little bit