dust

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Religion Literary

n. the remains of a human body after many years in the ground.

n. the earthly remains of a deceased human body, often used in religious or funerary contexts.

“The ancient king's body had long since turned to dust in the tomb.”

“The priest recited the solemn words 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust' as the casket was lowered into the earth.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Mathematics Technical

n. a special group of points in math that are separated from each other.

n. a totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure, such as a Cantor set.

“The professor explained how a Cantor dust is formed by removing segments.”

“In the study of dynamical systems, the resulting attractor often takes the form of a Cantor dust with a non-integer dimension.”

A2 · Elementary

v. to wipe the dirt off furniture or other objects.

v. to remove fine particulate matter from a surface by wiping or brushing. Often used intransitively to describe the general chore.

“I need to dust the living room before the guests arrive.”

“She spent the entire morning dusting the mahogany cabinets, ensuring not a single speck of lint remained on the polished wood.”

B1 · Intermediate Cooking

v. to cover something with a light layer of powder, like sugar on a cake.

v. to sprinkle or coat a surface with a fine substance in particulate form.

“Dust the top of the cake with a little icing sugar.”

“The chef lightly dusted the scallops with flour before searing them in the hot pan to achieve a golden crust.”

C1 · Advanced Sports Informal · American English

v. to beat someone very easily in a game or race.

v. to defeat an opponent decisively or by a significant margin.

“Our team got dusted in the final game of the season.”

“The defending champion dusted his rivals in the final sprint, crossing the finish line several seconds ahead of the pack.”

C2 · Proficiency Slang · American English

v. to run away or leave a place very fast.

v. to depart a location with great haste; to flee.

“As soon as the alarm went off, the thieves dusted.”

“Realizing the police were closing in, the suspects dusted out the back exit before the perimeter could be secured.”