dust settles
A heated, angry, or confused atmosphere calms down.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Let's talk after the dust settles.”
“The office was chaotic after the merger, but we decided to wait until the dust settles before making any big changes.”
“Once the dust settles on this intense political debate, the public will likely have a clearer understanding of the new policies.”
- 01
beat the dust
To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.
- 02
bite the dust
To die.
- 03
bust the dust
To clean dust off something, such as with a vacuum cleaner.
- 04
catch dust
To be rarely used.
- 05
collect dust
To remain untouched and unused for a long period of time.
- 06
done and dusted
Completed thoroughly and satisfactorily.
- 07
dust mouse
A dust bunny.
- 08
dust off a batter
for a pitcher to throw a pitch at or near the batter, typically to frighten the batter or to have him stand farther away from home plate.
Last updated August 10, 2026