Word
dust
US/ˈdəst/
UK/dˈʌst/
Definitions
01fine particles of dirt
n. tiny, dry pieces of dirt that look like powder and cover surfaces in a house.
n. fine, dry particles of matter, such as earth or organic debris, that settle on surfaces or float in the air.
“The old books on the shelf were covered in a thick layer of dust.”
“Sunlight streaming through the window revealed thousands of tiny dust motes dancing in the stagnant air of the attic.”
02remains of the dead
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.”
Literary
03fractal set
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.”
Technical
04to clean surfaces
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.”
05to sprinkle powder
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.”
06to defeat easily
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.”
Informal · American English
Antonyms
07to leave quickly
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.”
Slang · American English
Word family
Idioms
beat the dust — To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.
bite the dust — To die.
bust the dust — To clean dust off something, such as with a vacuum cleaner.
catch dust — To be rarely used.
collect dust — To remain untouched and unused for a long period of time.
done and dusted — Completed thoroughly and satisfactorily.
dust mouse — A dust bunny.
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.
dust settles — A heated, angry, or confused atmosphere calms down.
eat someone's dust — To be outrun.
Show all 17
leave for dust — To leave or abandon someone alone without helping or caring for them.
leave someone in the dust — To completely overtake a competitor.
not see someone for dust — To not see someone at all; implying a hasty departure.
shake off the dust from one's feet — To separate oneself from something unpleasant; to leave a place for good.
throw dust in someone's eyes — To delude or deceive someone.
turn to dust — To die or disappear.
wait for the dust to settle — To let a situation calm down, become clear or certain, before taking any action.