dust
(dʌst )
Word forms: dusts , dusting , dusted
1. uncountable noun B1
Dust is very small dry particles of earth or sand.
Tanks raise huge trails of dust when they move.
He reversed into the stockade in a cloud of dust.
2. uncountable noun B1
Dust is the very small pieces of dirt which you find inside buildings, for example on furniture, floors, or lights.
I could see a thick layer of dust on the stairs.
The rooms were empty of furniture and dust lay everywhere.
Synonyms: grime, grit, powdery dirt
3. uncountable noun [oft noun NOUN] B1+
Dust is a fine powder which consists of very small particles of a substance such as gold, wood, or coal.
The air is so black with diesel fumes and coal dust, I can barely see.
Synonyms: particles, powder, soot, smut
4. verb B2
When you dust something such as furniture, you remove dust from it, usually using a cloth.
I vacuumed and dusted the living room. [VERB noun]
She dusted, she cleaned, and she did the washing-up. [VERB]
Synonyms: remove dust from, clean, sweep, brush
dusting uncountable noun
I'm very fortunate in that I don't have to do the washing-up or the dusting.
5. verb
If you dust something with a fine substance such as powder or if you dust a fine substance onto something, you cover it lightly with that substance.
Lightly dust the fish with flour. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Dust and blend blusher on the apples of your cheeks. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Dry your feet well and then dust between the toes with baby powder. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Synonyms: sprinkle, cover, powder, spread
6. to bite the dust phrase
If you say that something has bitten the dust, you are emphasizing that it no longer exists or that it has failed. [humorous, informal, emphasis]
In the last 30 years many cherished values have bitten the dust.
The allegation has caused one lecturer's career to bite the dust.
7. the dust settles phrase
If you say that something will happen when the dust settles, you mean that a situation will be clearer after it has calmed down. If you let the dust settle before doing something, you let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else. [informal]
Once the dust had settled Beck defended his decision.
I think we need to let the dust settle and see what's going to happen after that.
8. to gather dust phrase
If you say that something is gathering dust, you mean that it has been left somewhere and nobody is using it or doing anything with it.
Many of the machines are gathering dust in basements.
The album is finally being released in October after gathering dust for over a year.
Phrasal verbs:
dust off
regional note: in BRIT, also use dust down
1. phrasal verb [Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
If you say that someone dusts something off or dusts it down, you mean they are using an old idea or method, rather than trying something new.
Critics dusted down the superlatives they had applied to the first three films. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
The singer dusted off classics such as 'Me and Bobby McGee'. [VERB PARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
2. phrasal verb
If you say that someone has dusted himself or herself off or dusted himself or herself down, you mean that they have managed to recover from a severe problem which has affected their life.
She dusted herself down and left to build her own career. [VERB pronoun-reflexive PARTICLE]
When we are rejected, picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and started again. [VERB pronoun-reflexive PARTICLE]
3. phrasal verb
If someone dusts down something or dusts dirt off something, they remove dirt or dust from it.
He stood and dusted down his suit and folded the letter away. [VERB PARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
Use loose powder to set your makeup, dusting the excess off with a brush. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
Image of dust
© optimarc, Shutterstock
Idioms:
gold dust [British]
something that is very difficult to get
Leg make-up was essential during the War when stockings were like gold dust.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
be left in the dust [US]
to be outdone or left far behind by someone or something
The Canadian economy was left in the dust by the torrid pace of expansion in the U. S. economy in the third quarter.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
you couldn't see someone for dust [British]
said to mean that someone has left a place or a difficult situation, very quickly and run away
As soon as Maria told her boyfriend she was pregnant, he was off. You couldn't see him for dust.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
shake the dust from your feet [British]
to leave a place or a situation, with the intention that you will never return to it
Our job here is done. It's time to shake the dust from our feet and move on.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
gather dust
to not be dealt with for a very long time
This project has been gathering dust on the shelves of the Ministry of the Environment for the last five years.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
the dust has settled
said to mean that a situation has become calmer and steadier after a series of confusing or chaotic events
Now that the dust has settled, it is clear that nothing much has changed.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
bite the dust
to fail or to stop existing
There are thousands of restaurants in and around London. Some make big money. Most break even, and quite a few have bitten the dust.
to die. This expression is used to refer to someone's death in a humorous way.
The climax of most Westerns comes when the villain bites the dust.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
be eating someone's dust
to be completely defeated by another person in a competitive situation
We were all eating his dust. I didn't know he could run so fast.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
dry as dust
very dry
The fields were dry as dust.
very boring
His book is badly written, poorly edited and dry as dust.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
dust filter dust grains dust lightly with dust mask dust motes fine dust inhale dust interstellar dust layer of dust lunar dust magic dust marble dust particles of dust plaster dust plume of dust radioactive dust red dust silica dust speck of dust swirling dust thick dust toxic dust
It contains a plasma ioniser that positively charges pollen particles, which are then removed by the negatively charged electrostatic dust filter.
Times, Sunday Times
You could also try using an air purifier and dust filter at home.
The Sun
A newly designed dust filter was later fitted without the auxiliary air intake.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Fine volcanic dust filters out the blue wavelengths from sunlight, especially at sunrise and sunset, allowing red, orange and amber to become more striking.
Times, Sunday Times
The dust filters down through the air, and sounds carry for long distances.
Christianity Today
To date the tiny amount of material, the researchers looked for the abundance of certain atoms formed by cosmic rays hitting the dust grains.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
However, other dating techniques, such as comparing the isotope ratios left behind by decaying radioactive materials, cannot yet be used to provide an absolute date for these ancient dust grains.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The microscopic cosmic dust grains were then separated using magnets, which attract some minerals that contain iron in the dust.
Times, Sunday Times
Solar heating causes gases to be released from the comet nucleus, which also carry away dust grains.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
However, a spacecraft would be almost constantly struck by micrometeorites, about the size of dust grains.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Gently brush a little milk over the surface of the pastry and dust lightly with icing sugar.
Times, Sunday Times
Dust lightly with sifted icing sugar and serve drizzled with warm chocolate sauce.
Times, Sunday Times
Scatter with the hazelnuts and dust lightly with cocoa.
Times, Sunday Times
Grease two 20cm springform cake tins with a little butter, line the bases with greaseproof paper, then dust lightly with flour.
Times, Sunday Times
Dust lightly with cocoa powder and scatter the chopped hazelnuts over the top.
Times, Sunday Times
He wore a builder's dust mask to conceal his face.
Times, Sunday Times
She was hiding behind dark glasses and a hat, with a dust mask on her face.
The Sun
The bag contained an artisanal woven fan, a programme for the philharmonic orchestra's performance and a disposable dust mask.
Times, Sunday Times
Be aware that mould spores, if inhaled, can cause respiratory problems, so when cleaning or even entering the car, be sure to wear a dust mask.
Times, Sunday Times
Stubble and beards, they say, prevent a seal from forming between the dust mask and the face.
Times, Sunday Times
I used to dream of having a room like this, with big tall windows and dust motes in the air.
Times,Sunday Times
You can practically count the dust motes as the characters swap leaden pleasantries with one another.
Times,Sunday Times
Buckets collect the rain at strategic points beneath the roof and only dust motes dance in the ballroom.
Times, Sunday Times
Dusting, as you know, only makes dust motes airborne until they crash-land somewhere else.
Times, Sunday Times
Dust motes hang in the air.
Christianity Today
Storms over deserts can blow up tons of fine dust that gets blown far away before being washed down in snowfalls.
Times, Sunday Times
To make the rose stardust, blend the rose petals, peppercorns, sumac and salt to a fine dust in a small coffee grinder.
Times, Sunday Times
Chop the zest and rosemary together to make a fine dust.
Times, Sunday Times
Even under the best-case climate mitigation scenario, we project that fine dust levels in the region could increase by 10 percent.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Even though this ash looks like fine dust, it consists of tiny particles of rock and silica that are highly abrasive.
Times, Sunday Times
The majority of miners in the studies are smokers and all inhale dust and other pollutants in mines.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
She finds that the asthma she's had since the age of 5 reduces her lung capacity by 20 per cent when she inhales dust.
Times, Sunday Times
Inhaling dust can lead to pulmonary irritation, possibly death.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
To minimize risk, owners are advised to spray down debris with water to put out any residual fire and wear closed masks to prevent inhaling dust from debris.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Astronomers know that simple organic molecules can be found in planets, comets and interstellar dust clouds.
Times, Sunday Times
The interstellar dust cloud that became the solar system was rich in radioactive material, including uranium, the fuel for nuclear reactors.
The Sun
His research involves the study of the interstellar medium, especially interstellar dust, photodissociation regions, and shock waves.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
To analyze the aerogel for interstellar dust, one million photographs will be needed to image the entirety of the sampled grains.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
These stars are thought to be significant contributors to interstellar dust.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.
The Sun
It has already been evident in a fine layer of dust that has settled on cars and windows.
Times, Sunday Times
A thin layer of dust covered everything.
Times, Sunday Times
A thin layer of dust, maybe less than one millimeter thick covers all surfaces.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
It was like a dried-out marsh, now barren of all vegetation and covered with a layer of dust about an inch thick.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
They were impressively unteary at having made history and at their huge footprints in the lunar dust.
Times, Sunday Times
They also need to insulate the astronaut from heat and radiation while resisting abrasive lunar dust.
Times,Sunday Times
Museum conservators worked to preserve the suit while preventing further degradation, keeping features of historical significance such as the lunar dust and handmade repairs made before flight.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Below the moon’s surface, astronauts would be shielded from radiation, micrometeorites, the harmful effects of lunar dust and the dramatic temperature swings between lunar night and day.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
But something, perhaps an excited rise in the commentators' voices, perhaps an intuition in my slumbering subconscious, woke me at the very moment when his boot touched the lunar dust.
Times, Sunday Times
Four times his bowling changes worked immediately, the magic dust, gone missing this series, sprinkled over proceedings once more.
Times, Sunday Times
There's no magic dust yet, but it's great to see the team working so hard.
Times, Sunday Times
So when the next snake-oil salesman of managerial magic dust appears, try asking the same questions.
Times, Sunday Times
Someone has blown some magic dust on him.
Times, Sunday Times
Can an 80-second film in a minimalist setting sprinkle the prerequisite magic dust that gets the 0.01 per cent to spend?
Times,Sunday Times
It looks like marble, but it's actually made of onyx marble dust held together by resin.
Times, Sunday Times
The ship was carrying marble dust and was about two and a half miles from shore when she radioed for help.
Times, Sunday Times
An iron sheet placed over a dry river bed with marble dust as snow was used to recreate the charge of the partisans across the frozen lake.
Times, Sunday Times
Polished plaster itself tends to consist of slaked lime, marble dust, and/or marble chips (which give each plaster its distinctive look).
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Sand or marble dust, and lime, were sometimes added.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The problems may be caused by microscopic particles of dust, dirt, soot and smoke released into the air from the diesel exhausts.
Times, Sunday Times
But even there tiny particles of dust and grit will soon accumulate on the paintwork and become scratches as you brush by it.
Times, Sunday Times
As they descend, the cones of light illuminate tiny particles of dust and haze swirling in the atmosphere.
Times, Sunday Times
Small particles of dust can create some vivid sunrises and sunsets, typically causing deep oranges and reds to appear in the sky.
Times, Sunday Times
The tiny particles of dust also act as seeds for water droplets to form on, eventually forming clouds that can also help to reduce sunlight.
Times, Sunday Times
He was screaming, his high-pitched wails piercing the clouds of choking plaster dust that were swirling around.
Times, Sunday Times
The fogs created by plaster dust meant that at times one of her main duties was to make tea and distribute sandwiches to victims and rescuers.
Times, Sunday Times
The room was engulfed in a cloud of plaster dust.
Globe and Mail
Tales of homeowners whose rose-tinted specs have become caked in plaster dust, or whose bank accounts have run dry in the midst of repairs, are all too common.
Times, Sunday Times
A home remodeling project can generate large amounts of irritating plaster dust and other demolition and construction dirt.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Outside, he saw a huge plume of dust billowing from a chimney above the mine and debris coming out of the entrance.
Times, Sunday Times
The plume of dust created was analysed by a second vehicle following four minutes later.
Times, Sunday Times
A video shows the $18,000 rocket plummeting nose-first to the ground and hitting the desert floor in a plume of dust.
Times,Sunday Times
It disappeared in a plume of dust.
Times, Sunday Times
The impact gouges out a crater 120 miles wide and sends an incandescent plume of dust, glass and ash into the atmosphere which falls back to earth as fiery debris.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
A chimney has to be knocked down, yet its insides are clogged with radioactive dust that could well be released into the atmosphere.
Times, Sunday Times
Cameras, pocket audio recorders and even the megaphone used by the guides to marshal visitors have to be wrapped in vinyl to exclude radioactive dust.
Times, Sunday Times
The 800 workers on site would have to wear protective clothing and respiratory masks to protect themselves from the radioactive dust around the 30km-radius contamination zone.
Times, Sunday Times
In another move to stop radioactive dust being carried from the plant by wind and rain, teams will experiment with a spray of water-soluble resin that could absorb dangerous particles.
Times, Sunday Times
In the library, mountains of textbooks, novels and newspapers are covered in radioactive dust.
Times, Sunday Times
We roll across the iron bridge, and suddenly we're on an unmade road, red dust flying up on to the windscreen.
Times, Sunday Times
They don't dry out leaving a sort of red dust behind, which can happen with lesser brands.
Times, Sunday Times
Backlit by the rising sun and wreathed in red dust, they're carrying picks, shovels and baskets — and they're singing hymns.
Times, Sunday Times
The four-week-old moggie was rescued from a cement factory where red dust used in the mix dyed her coat.
The Sun
There was just this red, red dust and spectacular cactuses, cave dwellings and adobe houses.
Times, Sunday Times
Due to silica dust exposure, many workers developed silicosis, a debilitating lung disease.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
He was also an authority on the effects of pulmonary diseases, such as silicosis caused by inhaling silica dust.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Gel cells add silica dust to the electrolyte, forming a thick putty-like gel.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The silica dust produced in the sandblasting process would cause silicosis after sustained inhalation of the dust.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Bags of silica sand used for sandblasting now carry labels warning the user to wear respiratory protection to avoid breathing the resulting fine silica dust.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
He was pale and freckly and was blinking at a rate that meant he either had a speck of dust lodged in both eyes or was very, very nervous.
JUST BETWEEN US (2002)
Trying to watch a football match on this was like witnessing ants chasing a speck of dust.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But perhaps it was just a speck of dust.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The most we'll do is clean up the odd speck of dust.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
That's just a speck of dust in my eye.
The Sun (2014)
He evokes the period by filling the screen with so much swirling dust that you spend half the film trying to stifle a sneeze.
Times, Sunday Times
For the next few seconds the air was thick with swirling dust.
Times, Sunday Times
In the swirling dust, they simply could not find the base.
Globe and Mail
Now a primrose yellow church sits above a scattering of black-eyed houses, an unexpected wind swirling dust down the dirt track that leads up from the shore.
Times, Sunday Times
I then became aware of a thick dust cloud that blocked out the light.
The Sun
The basement curtains were always closed and there was thick dust on the windowsill.
Times, Sunday Times
I just remember being on the floor on my left side and blood being on my eye protection and thick dust everywhere.
Times, Sunday Times
They were almost invisible under thick dust.
Times, Sunday Times
Photographs shared on social media showed cars, kitchens and furniture caked in thick dust beneath an orange sky.
Times, Sunday Times
They inhaled toxic dust and vapours as the material seethed in primitive cauldrons to extract the mercury.
Times, Sunday Times
Various causes are mooted: toxic dust; ancient spores; ozone issues; the weight of our waste; aliens; bankers.
Times, Sunday Times
Those who can prove they have illnesses caused by the toxic dust clouds will get larger settlements than those who fear they will contract diseases later in life.
The Sun
These would lessen the plant's environmental impact by reducing gas and toxic dust emissions.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
The report indicated that area residents were fearful of possibly toxic dust associated with the two towers' collapses within the building.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Translations:
Chinese: 灰尘, 除灰
Japanese: ほこり ごみ, ほこりを払う
- natural habitat
- natural harbour
- natural harmony
- natural hazard
- natural heritage
- natural history
- natural hormone
- natural hues
- natural illumination
- natural impulse
- natural inclination
- natural ingredients
- natural instinct
- naturalise
- naturalism
- naturalist
- naturalistic
- naturalistic style
- naturalization
- naturalize
- naturalized
- natural lake
- natural landmark
- natural landscape
- natural light