Definition of dust in English:

dust

noun dʌstdəst

1mass noun Fine, 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
Example sentencesExamples
- It takes five to seven days for the atmospheric currents to carry dust, smoke or industrial pollutants from Asia to the US.
- Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR.
- Instead he brushed a bit of dust off his dirty sleeve, as if this tiny bit of dust really mattered, compared to all the soot and blood staining his clothing.
- Once his large body hit the ground a cloud of dust and dirt filled the room.
- Are we going to see small clouds of dust when fighting on dusty grounds?
- We forded the home river, and with bouncing wheels and an all-enveloping cloud of red dust, ground our way up the opposite bank.
- The door rattled a bit and small particles of dust floated to the ground.
- He also suddenly noticed that the ground fog was down to thin wisps revealing the bare dirt that erupted in tiny clouds of dust with each footfall.
- Within an instant, a swirling cloud of dust from the sandy ground was kicked up.
- Clouds of dust billowed from the surface, but it was comfortable enough.
- It may also by carried by dust and long grass contaminated by infected animals so if one beast develops the condition, the others should be moved out of that pasture.
- There's thick dust on every surface, your kitchen's caked in layers of fat, and the bathroom just doesn't bear thinking about.
- However, it means no waxing or polishing is necessary; surface dust and dirt can be removed by light hosing from time to time.
- A breeze ruffled her cloak and brought up little clouds of dust from the ground.
- Particulates and dust in Earth's atmosphere along the line of sight tend to absorb blue light more effectively than red light.
- The most popular theory is that a cloud of dust smothered the earth in a thick haze that would have blocked out the sun.
- Soiled with dust and ground-in dirt, taped and re-taped, the pages were beginning to fall apart.
- They have appointed a German company to carry out tests on dust in surrounding homes and flats and asked residents to keep a diary of when they spot pollution coming from the chimney.
- Fine particles of dust will get everywhere - even if you section off the room, but you may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house.
- My boots raised small clouds of dust from the ground as I followed the rutted and rocky little goat-trail up the hillside.
Synonyms
fine powder, fine particles
dirt, grime, filth, smut, soot
1. 1.1with modifier Any material in the form of tiny particles.
  coal dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  He printed on shopping bags and plexiglas and placed unconventional material like diamond dust on his prints.
  And even after they'd cleaned up you could still see the coal dust under their skin.
  If inhaled, cadmium dust causes dryness of the throat, choking, headache, and pneumonia-like symptoms.
  Sections 28 through 43 consolidate the rules regarding asbestos, silica and coal dust.
  Black sputum is a sign of inhalation of particles, usually from cigarettes, but classically from coal dust in miners.
  Coal dust sifts through her hair, invading eyes, nose, and mouth.
  Water sprayed on the huge exposed seam settles dust and keeps the air clean, and prevents a fire hazard with explosive coal dust.
  St Mary Le Strand is small and filthy on the outside from centuries of pea-soupers, coal dust and modern day pollution.
  Pressure last night mounted on the Government to end the shame of some former mineworkers crippled by coal dust being denied proper compensation.
  The Millennium Stadium on match days is absolutely brimming with redundant miners, with coal dust in their hair and their pick-axes left at the turnstiles.
  Pneumoconiosis is caused by inhaling coal dust.
  Among the characters is the driver who bequeathed to his family the stubborn speck of coal dust in his eye.
  These are badly in need of renovation - years of coal dust have darkened them.
  Smothered in coal dust, we looked like the Black and White Minstrels, and the removal of our lab goggles just made us look even more ridiculous.
  The bags were found to contain coal dust and ended up sitting in the cellar for many years until the bill was settled.
  He was working with a stone-dusting crew, a safety procedure to minimise the risks of a potentially fatal coal dust explosion underground.
  When the strike began, his father was a few days from early retirement, a victim of coal dust and the lung disease emphysema.
  Comets are thought to be remnants from the earliest days of the solar system, containing pristine space dust and other material from this crucial period.
  ‘Now that there's no longer coal dust lying atop of everything, you can see how beautiful this country really is,’ says Red.
  At least 36 miners were killed and 30 injured yesterday in an underground methane and coal dust explosion in eastern Ukraine.
2. 1.2in singular A fine powder.
  he ground it into a fine dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  The planet's shrouded surface has cooled, and this allowed the winds to die down and the fine dust to begin settling.
  Grind the saffron to a fine dust in a pestle and mortar.
  Day and night, I hear his jaws crunching through the wood, grinding it to a fine dust.
  The suit was speckled with a dust almost entirely consisting of dandruff.
  A fine dust had settled over the grass, the remains of our home, and now with each step he took a footprint was left behind and I shivered hard.
  He noticed that one of his arms was outstretched and covered in a fine dust.
  In assessing whether or not a particular dust found under certain conditions is likely to prove harmful to those exposed, a number of factors needs to be considered.
  As if for good measure, a fine dust of freckles was sprinkled over her little nose.
  All that would result would be a fine dust and that'd blow away in the first wind, taking all the goodness of the soil away with it.
  When the pick hit a chunk of rock it would send at a sonic blast that would reduce it to a fine dust.
  The tissue was ground to a fine dust, the DNA extracted.
  The bones crumble to a fine dust that whips past us, leaving only the forgotten fires still raging in the kitchen.
  Applied as a dust to soil, the bacteria coat the leaves of emerging seedlings and fight the fungus.
  The aquatint ground is usually formed by covering the plate with a fine dust of powdered resin, which is then fused to the plate by heat.
  Every window in the ship shattered into a fine dust, and all the humans felt like they were vibrating severely.
  His desk fared slightly worse: a large chunk of it was now settling gently into the thick oriental carpet in the form of a fine dust.
  Silver iodide is used to make rain, by sprinkling it as a fine dust onto rainclouds, which leads to condensation.
  Most of the album is considerably less warped, but a chilly, haunted ambience settles over the whole recording like a fine dust.
  Its fibers become moldy very easily, and the mold breaks the fiber into a fine dust.
  The samples were cut repeatedly with scissors and then ground to a fine dust with an agate mortar and pestle.
3. 1.3in singular A cloud of dust.
  Example sentencesExamples
  From time to time, the flash of her camera lights up the dust in whirling clouds.
  Infrared wavelengths, which are a little longer than visible light, merely wiggle through the dust in the cloud.
  Troy couldn't see a thing, the dust clouded his vision, and his head had hit into the rock as he had landed.
4. 1.4literary A dead person's remains.
  scatter my dust and ashes
  Example sentencesExamples
  When the boy awakened from his coma fully he would discover that all he knew were dead and dust.
  He was tense and coiled, and if looks could kill, she would already have been a pile of ash and dust.
  Why should we be doomed to grow old, gray, yellow and saggy before we turn to ashes and dust?
  Before him and everyone else, the army dissolved into dust and ash.
  Their bodies are dust, their voices gone; now only documents exist to indicate their unpleasant fates.
5. 1.5literary The mortal human body.
  the soul, that dwells within your dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  Creatures are dust and ashes that rightly should tremble before the Judgement Throne of a just, benevolent and fearful deity who metes out punishment and reward.
  Finally, the best advice of the week comes from an American comedian who asks you to remember both that you are dust and ashes and that the world was created just for you.
  Luther said of himself, ‘I am dust and ashes and full of sin.’
  But Genesis is a narrative, and its historical and spiritual truths are authenticated in the actions and characters of men and women of flesh and blood, dust and ashes.
  We are mortals, made of dust and need your spirit to moisten our brows.
  Abraham answered, ‘Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.’
  He suggests not, and translates the text, ‘Therefore I retract and change my mind, being but dust and ashes.’
2in singular An act of dusting.
a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs
Example sentencesExamples
- If it does, a quick dust with a damp cloth will round up rogue particles or pollen.
- Never the less he gave it a quick dust, fitted the terminator device and left.
Synonyms
clean, sweep, wipe, mop

verb dʌstdəst

[with object]

1Remove the dust or dirt from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it.
I broke the vase I had been dusting
pick yourself up and dust yourself down
no object she washed and dusted and tidied
Example sentencesExamples
- To mark the change there is a huge clean out, the temple is dusted and washed from top to bottom.
- His desk was dusted clean, revealing reflections on the varnished wooden surface.
- I cleaned two pairs of boots, swept and dusted the room and the hall and got the breakfast up.
- He also told her about cleaning his room and dusting the pictures and other small things like that.
- She got up slowly, dusting the specks of dirt off her pants, and walked towards the door.
- Anyway, I dusted my hands clean of that place, and what a load feels like it's been lifted.
- Spotting a broom at the other end of the room she dusted the shelves and washed the walls.
- You were to dust my bookshelves and wash the windows and clean the carpets twice a week.
- We cleaned out the dog house (which our cat also uses), dusted the inside, and cleaned and dusted the dog's bed.
- I opened the box and dusted the fine haired brush before applying the dark fingerprinting dust with gentle strokes onto the glass to make the prints visible.
- Watching the old Chinese at work, removing the piles, piece by piece and dusting them, I spotted what looked like a life-size torso lying under a twisted heap.
- I dusted the sand and dirt off of my blue jean skirt.
- Recently a homeowner in Finland was engaged in a ritual spring cleaning, which included emptying the bookshelves and dusting each volume.
- The equipment will all be cleaned and dusted the night before.
- For the whole of her first day in her grandmother's old house, Emma swept cobwebs from the ceilings and dusted furniture and washed walls and floors.
- The boy finished his half, dusted his hands clean, bit his lip, and raised a hand in farewell.
- The film loader is not very clean and should I try cleaning and dusting it or simply buy a new one?
- The boots were dusted clean by many of the players that returned to the squad.
- Removing dead leaves and flowers as well as wiping or dusting the leaves of your plants will keep them happy and healthy and keep your indoor garden looking gorgeous.
- And the hospital is kept thoroughly clean and dusted every day - and that included the tops of cupboards and places that you do not normally see.
Synonyms
wipe, clean, buff, brush, sweep, mop
1. 1.1dust something down/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
  Example sentencesExamples
  Old wars are re-fought, old loves are rekindled and old friendships are dusted off temporarily before being hastily returned to the box marked ‘gone and pretty much forgotten’.
  Since the 1950s, this excuse has been dusted off whenever yet another revolutionary hero was exposed as a tyrant.
  Not only did it suggest the Minstermen have re-established a base camp from which to rise but they are dusted down and ready to re-conquer earlier summits.
  Along with the new releases some staples have been dusted off for another viewing.
  But there is also a downside to fame, the one in which family skeletons are dusted down in public.
  Yet again, the old Battle of Britain headlines will be dusted down.
  Yesterday, an old friend told me she was asking lots of people what their favorite books were, so I metaphorically dusted it off, tweaked it, and sent this.
  It pains me (and I speak from first-hand knowledge) to see these heroes of mine totally neglected, except when they are dusted off like ornaments on our shelves to put on ‘show’ whenever relatives are about to visit.
  In a region where history is never consigned to the dustbin, ancient hostilities are dusted down almost daily.
  Most of us, I believe, have other things to do with our time and leave our part in the democratic process to the next time the ballot boxes are dusted down.
  Trench coats, slouch hats and Tommy guns were dusted off and called into service again, at least until new cues could be established.
  But, after about 15 years, I found myself dusting it off to perform in different plays.
  Nor is she an astute social observer, except in the sense that she has an unerring eye for what clichés are au courant, and what clichés can be dusted off and made new again.
  Yes that's right, its time to dust the cobwebs off the old wooden racket, tighten the strings on the shiny racket that has only seen a tennis ball in two weeks total out of this last four years.
  The idea remained dormant for more than 25 years until Miller dusted it off and tried it on.
  And by ‘somewhat’ I note it's been 29 weeks and 5 days since we last dusted it off and bestowed it on a worthy individual.
  No doubt this suggestion will be dusted off again as the argument hots up.
  Under New Labour, Tory policies have been dusted down and briskly put into effect without any real opposition.
  But today of all days he had to bring it out and dust it off.
  There, like elsewhere across Beirut, generators have been dusted off and overhead wires have once again become a common sight.
2Cover lightly with a powdered substance.
roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar
Example sentencesExamples
- Mix the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly dust the John Dory fillets, shaking off the excess flour.
- When he enters her new digs, he tracks paw prints in the layer of flour that dusts everything in sight.
- Turn out the mixture on to a surface lightly dusted with flour and shape into a round of about 2.5cm thick.
- North of the little village of shops, rows of houses could be seen at the foot of a chain of majestic mountains that were dusted lightly with snow.
- Her hand reached for her brush to dust a tiny bit more color onto her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind.
- A little flour can be dusted to prevent stickiness while making the roti.
- There was sand covering the tires and snow dusted lightly across the top.
- Here is a tapestry of shape and subtle colour, with dried stems, flowers, leaves and seedheads lightly dusted with frost.
- It earns its name (meunier is French for miller) because the underside of its downy leaves can look as though they have been dusted with flour.
- Serve at room temperature, dusted lightly with powdered sugar.
- Or maybe I should just dust myself with a bit of self raising flour before I go out to give the home baking look?
- The fields look as if they have been dusted with flour for baking.
- Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a 35 cm square.
- Transfer to a sheet pan lightly dusted with cornmeal.
- Lightly dust bronzing powder on your forehead, cheeks and browbone, anywhere the sun would hit.
- I went into the front sitting room, and dusted everything with a thick coat of white wheat flour!
- It was his mom, wearing a navy apron that was dusted in flour.
- Lightly dust your countertop with flour and transfer the dough onto it.
- He removed his jacket in the laundry room, dusting the floor with snowflakes.
- Transfer the dough to a flat work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar.
Synonyms
sprinkle, scatter, powder, dredge, sift, spray, cover, spread, strew
dot, fleck, freckle, dab
literary befleck, bestrew, besprinkle
1. 2.1 Sprinkle (a powdered substance) on to something.
  orange powder was dusted over the upper body
  Example sentencesExamples
  It was spacious, it had a nice boardwalk linking the seating areas, lightly dusted with sand for effect.
  Or, roast some root vegetables, dusted with spices and tossed in olive oil, for 30-40 minutes.
  Next to the salad you'll find rings of raw onion lightly dusted with the zesty, purple-red sumac, which brightens up the taste of the meat in a subtle, but noticeable way.
  Silica Gel is the same drying agent used in packing or flower drying and can be ground to a powder to dust onto insects.
  Water was available at all times, and the bats were fed daily with mealworms dusted with multivitamin powder.
  That said, I'm a bit of a picnic pedant; I have to have little twists of salt and pepper to dust on to my crisp salad or a ripe tomato or two.
  The croutons are toasted and dusted with sugar and spices.
  She quickly rubbed baby oil all over him and then she dusted him with talcum powder.
  Sweetbread dusted in a spiced powder and roast whole was just so, but it was impaired by a dice of scallops.
  We'll dust ourselves with clay and fossilized feces, fashion a tool driven by a concept, something to blow their little minds.
  Whichever noodles you choose, don't forget to dust some diced garlic powder onto them to add more fragrance.
  Perhaps your cat would like her basket rearranged with a new throw and a little wee pillow all lightly dusted with catnip.
  This along with the spices should be dusted over the mixed fruit and nuts, kneaded together.
  He leans forward to tie a lace, his foot resting on the wheel arch, the skin on his sculptural face so clear and refined, it's as if it has been dusted with gold.
  The chocolate biscuit cake dusted with coconut was great as a kiddie bribe and also went smoothly with my afternoon coffee.
  Leave the tart to cool and dust with cocoa powder.
  If dusted with cocoa powder, as they often are, these are thought to look like freshly dug real truffles.
  As I tucked into my fries, each lightly dusted with salt, I could feel my entire system sighing with relief.
  But this lot was made with gingerbread, which was dusted with powdered sugar and pepper.
  I imagine them in an eight by six metre space glowing ripe and juicy, dusted with a sprinkling of rain.
3US informal Beat up or kill someone.
the officers dusted him up a little bit

Phrases

be done and dusted

informal (of a project) be completely finished or ready.
Example sentencesExamples
- This late flurry of activity means that I'll just have some loose ends to tie up on Monday, and that's my little project done and dusted and almost on schedule.
- All the deliveries were well underway, all the marketing promotions done and dusted, and he was piling into a new battle on a different front - the planning for next summer's onslaught.
- But it's done and dusted now, and I think everyone is just trying to get on with snooker and get the sport going again.
- But in the morning, with all done and dusted, and what remained of the spell completely broken, this awful quietness and retreat descended upon the room.
- There has been a variation in the ways people have raised money but we still need the commitment of people, we are not done and dusted yet.
- Had it not been for two delightful chips, one a sand wedge into the hole on 14, the other a stone-dead effort from the rough three holes later, the match would have been done and dusted by lunchtime.
- So, wouldn't it be great if you could arrive at the airport at a civilised time, with all the formalities done and dusted, then skip to the front of the check-in queue to have your baggage tagged?
- But, if possible, Downing Street wants to wait until all its flagship legislation on crime and public sector reform is done and dusted before going to war with Peers once again.
- You can do it until you are 25, but I just wanted to get it done and dusted.
- Well, no matter that the original coursework is done and dusted, this is still a thread for talking about the film and its influences, and I hope my post above wasn't entirely redundant.
Synonyms
completed, finished, prepared, organized, done, arranged, fixed, in readiness

dust and ashes

Used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something.
the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn't come
Example sentencesExamples
- I'm glad, it seems so wrong to think of them lying side by side, even though I know there's nothing left of them but dust and ashes.
- If he were able to remember - really remember - that voice, he would hunger only to hear it once more, and its perfection would turn all other voices, all other music, to dust and ashes in his mouth.
- Time and time again he let it run away with him and leave him with dust and ashes.
- A book may safely age, and so it matters not a jot if one waits another year to read it; try it now, 'tis dust and ashes, wait a year, it is a feast, with table settings and all.

the dust settles

Things quieten down.
she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten
Example sentencesExamples
- You know, every time something happens and then the dust settles and they begin to raise their head over the parapet, they're then shot down again with yet more revelations.
- When the dust settles on the discussion of the merits and the disadvantages of boarding school life, one fact emerges: no matter how you tell it, it's still high school.
- Settled into the cosy confines of his expensive rehabilitation centre, he has not only found one of the few places where he can be sealed off from the media until the dust settles but has created a cast-iron alibi.
- When the dust settles and the mud dries, we are going to see all over America, a nation that will lose patience with the needs of a foreign refugee population.
- He will lead the Irish team home triumphantly today but, when the celebrations end, the cheering dies down and the dust settles, there are questions to be answered.
- And I suspect that when all the dust settles, we'll come up with a new version of the bill in January that the White House has put its imprimatur on from the beginning.
- I can only hope that when all is said and done, when the dust settles and time casts light back on our time in office that the people will see that we tried to give something back as well.
- But when the dust settles after the opening exchanges and we approach the business end of tournaments, we still expect to see the familiar faces of football's elite.
- But once the dust settles and shoppers in record numbers continue to be attracted to the town the inevitable spin off will make virtually everyone a beneficiary.
- The Coastal Development Committee had asked its members to boycott last elections in protest against the leaders never giving an ear to their woes once the dust settles down after each election.

eat someone's dust

informal Fall far behind someone in a competitive situation.
Example sentencesExamples
- I ran ahead of both of them and left them eating my dust.
- ‘Get ready to eat my dust Wallace,’ she warned, hopping out of the car on their arrival.
- ‘Hey,’ Vincent laughed, ‘Looks like you're eating my dust.’
- And his five fellow competitors were soon left eating his dust as he took first place in the Senior Class National Championships.
- The game does offer wheel-to-wheel, fender banging fun, especially when there are real people in the room to bark at when you've just left them eating your dust.
- If they still don't budge, let 'em eat your dust!
- If she hadn't she would have carried on running and left me eating her dust but she didn't.
- These losers might treat you and your friends like dirt now, but they'll end up eating your dust.
- We have had close competition on the two opening rounds, losing out to him on the first and letting him eat our dust on round two.
- Make sure your brother eats your dust on the go-cart track!

gather (or collect) dust

Remain unused.
some professors let their computers gather dust
Example sentencesExamples
- The sink, mopping bucket, and various cleaning supplies lay unused in the corner of the room, collecting dust and cobwebs.
- Often times, they even have a seemingly obsolete computer that is unused and is gathering dust somewhere.
- His report gathers dust as the benefits system becomes ever more complicated.
- A survey last year revealed many parents put the value of unused and unwanted toys gathering dust in their cupboards at up to £500.
- The result is another shirt, pair of pants or shoes that remain in the closet, collecting dust for years to come.
- Many families also have unused sports equipment sitting in their garage gathering dust, which we can turn into cash.
- With that title, it sounds like the sort of hardcore skin-flick which gathers dust and sweaty fingerprints on a shelf in Amsterdam.
- Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting dust in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home.
- She was extremely interested in ancient Egypt and the mysteries that she knew still remained hidden in undiscovered passages, collecting dust.
- It could have remained that way, disused and neglected, gathering dust and cobwebs.

leave someone/something in the dust

Surpass someone or something easily.
today's modems leave their predecessors in the dust
Example sentencesExamples
- So although I'm sad for her today, she is going leave us in the dust.
- So what humans need to do is to grow and to continue merging with technology, or else we will be left in the dust.
- All cellphones must adapt to harness this technology or they will be left in the dust.
- Indulge me for a moment: it's not every day, or even every weekend, that all of one's progeny leaves the competition in the dust - well, in its wake, literally.
- After choosing your desired capacity you should take a close look at performance, since there are some sticks out there that easily leave their competition in the dust.
- If you don't constantly renew and improve your business offerings, Las Vegas will leave you in the dust.
- ‘Other nations will eat our lunch, leave us in the dust, make the past success a blip on the screen - use whatever metaphor you like for a profound defeat - if we don't act now, fast and with focus,’ he said.
- The current news onslaught of grisly fluff is a symptom of media priorities that have left democratic possibilities in the dust.
- We're not targeting journalists - we're just leaving them in the dust.
- I think that somehow in the spiral that is the path that we are following, outsourcing all these jobs, the real people who live in my community and in your community and all the other communities are left in the dust.

not see someone for dust

Find that a person has made a hasty departure.

kick up (a) dust

informal Create a disturbance.
Example sentencesExamples
- A deal like this was bound to kick up dust in Washington.
- If we do too much to kick up dust, we might create enough clouds to change the climate.
- People using the entry at Charlotte St which connects as a short cut to Clermount Gardens are kicking up a dust about activity in the Lane at night, when the place turns into another drinking den.
- So, as consumers look to frozen novelties for a fun, indulgent treat as they have for decades, the better-for-you land rush continues to kick up dust.
- And one more Florida native hops on the trance bandwagon that's zooming across the planet, kicking up dust at every rave from Halifax to Ho Chi Mihn City.
- Yet it seems to an area where few are prepared to kick up dust to repair.
- A bunch of young Pakistani players kicked up dust and memories at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium on January 27.
Synonyms
make a fuss, kick up a fuss, cause a row, cause a commotion, cause a disturbance, cause uproar, cause a fracas, cause a rumpus, make a racket

Derivatives

dustless

adjective

Chris ran a finger along a dustless steel shelf, his eyes wandering over the various weapons.
Example sentencesExamples
- I walked in the center of the city, on the concrete pavements lining the dustless roads.
- The wardrobe and dressing table were dustless, the carpet on the floor was soft and a rich red colour, the light purple silk drapes hung limp on the windows.
- The door slid open easily and from the dustless chamber she drew out a bundle.
- However, such days are happily gone and the dogs and I sit, as I write, in our dustless paradise.

Origin

Old English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist 'chaff'.

Our word dust is related to Dutch duist ‘chaff, meal dust, bran’, and the ancient meaning appears to have been ‘material that rises in a cloud of smoke’. Various biblical uses of dust have settled in the language. To shake the dust off your feet derives from the Gospel of Matthew: ‘And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.’ The phrase dust and ashes, used to convey a great sense of disappointment or disillusion, is found in the books of Genesis and Job. It refers back to the legend of the Sodom apple or Dead Sea fruit, whose attractive appearance tempted people but which tasted only of dust and ashes when eaten. A dusty answer is a curt and unhelpful reply. The expression comes from the 1862 poem ‘Modern Love’ by George Meredith: ‘Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul / When hot for certainties in this our life!’

Rhymes

adjust, august, bust, combust, crust, encrust, entrust, gust, just, lust, mistrust, must, robust, rust, thrust, trust, undiscussed

Definition of dust in US English:

dust

noundəstdəst

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
Example sentencesExamples
- Fine particles of dust will get everywhere - even if you section off the room, but you may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house.
- He also suddenly noticed that the ground fog was down to thin wisps revealing the bare dirt that erupted in tiny clouds of dust with each footfall.
- Instead he brushed a bit of dust off his dirty sleeve, as if this tiny bit of dust really mattered, compared to all the soot and blood staining his clothing.
- They have appointed a German company to carry out tests on dust in surrounding homes and flats and asked residents to keep a diary of when they spot pollution coming from the chimney.
- Are we going to see small clouds of dust when fighting on dusty grounds?
- Within an instant, a swirling cloud of dust from the sandy ground was kicked up.
- We forded the home river, and with bouncing wheels and an all-enveloping cloud of red dust, ground our way up the opposite bank.
- It takes five to seven days for the atmospheric currents to carry dust, smoke or industrial pollutants from Asia to the US.
- However, it means no waxing or polishing is necessary; surface dust and dirt can be removed by light hosing from time to time.
- It may also by carried by dust and long grass contaminated by infected animals so if one beast develops the condition, the others should be moved out of that pasture.
- Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR.
- Soiled with dust and ground-in dirt, taped and re-taped, the pages were beginning to fall apart.
- Once his large body hit the ground a cloud of dust and dirt filled the room.
- A breeze ruffled her cloak and brought up little clouds of dust from the ground.
- The most popular theory is that a cloud of dust smothered the earth in a thick haze that would have blocked out the sun.
- Particulates and dust in Earth's atmosphere along the line of sight tend to absorb blue light more effectively than red light.
- My boots raised small clouds of dust from the ground as I followed the rutted and rocky little goat-trail up the hillside.
- There's thick dust on every surface, your kitchen's caked in layers of fat, and the bathroom just doesn't bear thinking about.
- The door rattled a bit and small particles of dust floated to the ground.
- Clouds of dust billowed from the surface, but it was comfortable enough.
Synonyms
fine powder, fine particles
1. 1.1with modifier Any material in the form of tiny particles.
  coal dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  ‘Now that there's no longer coal dust lying atop of everything, you can see how beautiful this country really is,’ says Red.
  Comets are thought to be remnants from the earliest days of the solar system, containing pristine space dust and other material from this crucial period.
  St Mary Le Strand is small and filthy on the outside from centuries of pea-soupers, coal dust and modern day pollution.
  Black sputum is a sign of inhalation of particles, usually from cigarettes, but classically from coal dust in miners.
  Pneumoconiosis is caused by inhaling coal dust.
  The bags were found to contain coal dust and ended up sitting in the cellar for many years until the bill was settled.
  He was working with a stone-dusting crew, a safety procedure to minimise the risks of a potentially fatal coal dust explosion underground.
  These are badly in need of renovation - years of coal dust have darkened them.
  Smothered in coal dust, we looked like the Black and White Minstrels, and the removal of our lab goggles just made us look even more ridiculous.
  Sections 28 through 43 consolidate the rules regarding asbestos, silica and coal dust.
  When the strike began, his father was a few days from early retirement, a victim of coal dust and the lung disease emphysema.
  Coal dust sifts through her hair, invading eyes, nose, and mouth.
  Pressure last night mounted on the Government to end the shame of some former mineworkers crippled by coal dust being denied proper compensation.
  At least 36 miners were killed and 30 injured yesterday in an underground methane and coal dust explosion in eastern Ukraine.
  The Millennium Stadium on match days is absolutely brimming with redundant miners, with coal dust in their hair and their pick-axes left at the turnstiles.
  He printed on shopping bags and plexiglas and placed unconventional material like diamond dust on his prints.
  Water sprayed on the huge exposed seam settles dust and keeps the air clean, and prevents a fire hazard with explosive coal dust.
  If inhaled, cadmium dust causes dryness of the throat, choking, headache, and pneumonia-like symptoms.
  And even after they'd cleaned up you could still see the coal dust under their skin.
  Among the characters is the driver who bequeathed to his family the stubborn speck of coal dust in his eye.
2. 1.2in singular A fine powder.
  he ground it into a fine dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  All that would result would be a fine dust and that'd blow away in the first wind, taking all the goodness of the soil away with it.
  In assessing whether or not a particular dust found under certain conditions is likely to prove harmful to those exposed, a number of factors needs to be considered.
  Most of the album is considerably less warped, but a chilly, haunted ambience settles over the whole recording like a fine dust.
  The aquatint ground is usually formed by covering the plate with a fine dust of powdered resin, which is then fused to the plate by heat.
  Applied as a dust to soil, the bacteria coat the leaves of emerging seedlings and fight the fungus.
  He noticed that one of his arms was outstretched and covered in a fine dust.
  The bones crumble to a fine dust that whips past us, leaving only the forgotten fires still raging in the kitchen.
  The samples were cut repeatedly with scissors and then ground to a fine dust with an agate mortar and pestle.
  The suit was speckled with a dust almost entirely consisting of dandruff.
  Silver iodide is used to make rain, by sprinkling it as a fine dust onto rainclouds, which leads to condensation.
  The tissue was ground to a fine dust, the DNA extracted.
  His desk fared slightly worse: a large chunk of it was now settling gently into the thick oriental carpet in the form of a fine dust.
  The planet's shrouded surface has cooled, and this allowed the winds to die down and the fine dust to begin settling.
  A fine dust had settled over the grass, the remains of our home, and now with each step he took a footprint was left behind and I shivered hard.
  As if for good measure, a fine dust of freckles was sprinkled over her little nose.
  Every window in the ship shattered into a fine dust, and all the humans felt like they were vibrating severely.
  Day and night, I hear his jaws crunching through the wood, grinding it to a fine dust.
  Its fibers become moldy very easily, and the mold breaks the fiber into a fine dust.
  When the pick hit a chunk of rock it would send at a sonic blast that would reduce it to a fine dust.
  Grind the saffron to a fine dust in a pestle and mortar.
3. 1.3in singular A cloud of dust.
  Example sentencesExamples
  From time to time, the flash of her camera lights up the dust in whirling clouds.
  Troy couldn't see a thing, the dust clouded his vision, and his head had hit into the rock as he had landed.
  Infrared wavelengths, which are a little longer than visible light, merely wiggle through the dust in the cloud.
4. 1.4literary A dead person's remains.
  scatter my dust and ashes
  Example sentencesExamples
  Why should we be doomed to grow old, gray, yellow and saggy before we turn to ashes and dust?
  Their bodies are dust, their voices gone; now only documents exist to indicate their unpleasant fates.
  Before him and everyone else, the army dissolved into dust and ash.
  When the boy awakened from his coma fully he would discover that all he knew were dead and dust.
  He was tense and coiled, and if looks could kill, she would already have been a pile of ash and dust.
5. 1.5literary The mortal human body.
  the soul, that dwells within your dust
  Example sentencesExamples
  Creatures are dust and ashes that rightly should tremble before the Judgement Throne of a just, benevolent and fearful deity who metes out punishment and reward.
  But Genesis is a narrative, and its historical and spiritual truths are authenticated in the actions and characters of men and women of flesh and blood, dust and ashes.
  We are mortals, made of dust and need your spirit to moisten our brows.
  Abraham answered, ‘Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.’
  Luther said of himself, ‘I am dust and ashes and full of sin.’
  He suggests not, and translates the text, ‘Therefore I retract and change my mind, being but dust and ashes.’
  Finally, the best advice of the week comes from an American comedian who asks you to remember both that you are dust and ashes and that the world was created just for you.
2in singular An act of dusting.
a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs
Example sentencesExamples
- Never the less he gave it a quick dust, fitted the terminator device and left.
- If it does, a quick dust with a damp cloth will round up rogue particles or pollen.
Synonyms
clean, sweep, wipe, mop

verbdəstdəst

[with object]

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
Example sentencesExamples
- To mark the change there is a huge clean out, the temple is dusted and washed from top to bottom.
- You were to dust my bookshelves and wash the windows and clean the carpets twice a week.
- The boy finished his half, dusted his hands clean, bit his lip, and raised a hand in farewell.
- His desk was dusted clean, revealing reflections on the varnished wooden surface.
- And the hospital is kept thoroughly clean and dusted every day - and that included the tops of cupboards and places that you do not normally see.
- The film loader is not very clean and should I try cleaning and dusting it or simply buy a new one?
- The boots were dusted clean by many of the players that returned to the squad.
- The equipment will all be cleaned and dusted the night before.
- She got up slowly, dusting the specks of dirt off her pants, and walked towards the door.
- Watching the old Chinese at work, removing the piles, piece by piece and dusting them, I spotted what looked like a life-size torso lying under a twisted heap.
- Recently a homeowner in Finland was engaged in a ritual spring cleaning, which included emptying the bookshelves and dusting each volume.
- I cleaned two pairs of boots, swept and dusted the room and the hall and got the breakfast up.
- Anyway, I dusted my hands clean of that place, and what a load feels like it's been lifted.
- I dusted the sand and dirt off of my blue jean skirt.
- I opened the box and dusted the fine haired brush before applying the dark fingerprinting dust with gentle strokes onto the glass to make the prints visible.
- He also told her about cleaning his room and dusting the pictures and other small things like that.
- Spotting a broom at the other end of the room she dusted the shelves and washed the walls.
- We cleaned out the dog house (which our cat also uses), dusted the inside, and cleaned and dusted the dog's bed.
- Removing dead leaves and flowers as well as wiping or dusting the leaves of your plants will keep them happy and healthy and keep your indoor garden looking gorgeous.
- For the whole of her first day in her grandmother's old house, Emma swept cobwebs from the ceilings and dusted furniture and washed walls and floors.
Synonyms
wipe, clean, buff, brush, sweep, mop
1. 1.1dust 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
  Example sentencesExamples
  There, like elsewhere across Beirut, generators have been dusted off and overhead wires have once again become a common sight.
  Most of us, I believe, have other things to do with our time and leave our part in the democratic process to the next time the ballot boxes are dusted down.
  And by ‘somewhat’ I note it's been 29 weeks and 5 days since we last dusted it off and bestowed it on a worthy individual.
  Not only did it suggest the Minstermen have re-established a base camp from which to rise but they are dusted down and ready to re-conquer earlier summits.
  Trench coats, slouch hats and Tommy guns were dusted off and called into service again, at least until new cues could be established.
  But there is also a downside to fame, the one in which family skeletons are dusted down in public.
  No doubt this suggestion will be dusted off again as the argument hots up.
  Nor is she an astute social observer, except in the sense that she has an unerring eye for what clichés are au courant, and what clichés can be dusted off and made new again.
  Old wars are re-fought, old loves are rekindled and old friendships are dusted off temporarily before being hastily returned to the box marked ‘gone and pretty much forgotten’.
  Yet again, the old Battle of Britain headlines will be dusted down.
  Along with the new releases some staples have been dusted off for another viewing.
  But today of all days he had to bring it out and dust it off.
  Yes that's right, its time to dust the cobwebs off the old wooden racket, tighten the strings on the shiny racket that has only seen a tennis ball in two weeks total out of this last four years.
  But, after about 15 years, I found myself dusting it off to perform in different plays.
  Yesterday, an old friend told me she was asking lots of people what their favorite books were, so I metaphorically dusted it off, tweaked it, and sent this.
  In a region where history is never consigned to the dustbin, ancient hostilities are dusted down almost daily.
  Under New Labour, Tory policies have been dusted down and briskly put into effect without any real opposition.
  Since the 1950s, this excuse has been dusted off whenever yet another revolutionary hero was exposed as a tyrant.
  The idea remained dormant for more than 25 years until Miller dusted it off and tried it on.
  It pains me (and I speak from first-hand knowledge) to see these heroes of mine totally neglected, except when they are dusted off like ornaments on our shelves to put on ‘show’ whenever relatives are about to visit.
2. 1.2dust someone offBaseball Deliver a pitch very near a batter so they must fall to the dirt to avoid being hit by it.
2usually be dustedCover lightly with a powdered substance.
roll out on a surface dusted with flour
Example sentencesExamples
- Or maybe I should just dust myself with a bit of self raising flour before I go out to give the home baking look?
- I went into the front sitting room, and dusted everything with a thick coat of white wheat flour!
- Mix the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly dust the John Dory fillets, shaking off the excess flour.
- Lightly dust bronzing powder on your forehead, cheeks and browbone, anywhere the sun would hit.
- It was his mom, wearing a navy apron that was dusted in flour.
- Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a 35 cm square.
- North of the little village of shops, rows of houses could be seen at the foot of a chain of majestic mountains that were dusted lightly with snow.
- It earns its name (meunier is French for miller) because the underside of its downy leaves can look as though they have been dusted with flour.
- Turn out the mixture on to a surface lightly dusted with flour and shape into a round of about 2.5cm thick.
- A little flour can be dusted to prevent stickiness while making the roti.
- Here is a tapestry of shape and subtle colour, with dried stems, flowers, leaves and seedheads lightly dusted with frost.
- The fields look as if they have been dusted with flour for baking.
- Transfer to a sheet pan lightly dusted with cornmeal.
- Serve at room temperature, dusted lightly with powdered sugar.
- He removed his jacket in the laundry room, dusting the floor with snowflakes.
- When he enters her new digs, he tracks paw prints in the layer of flour that dusts everything in sight.
- Her hand reached for her brush to dust a tiny bit more color onto her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind.
- There was sand covering the tires and snow dusted lightly across the top.
- Lightly dust your countertop with flour and transfer the dough onto it.
- Transfer the dough to a flat work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar.
Synonyms
sprinkle, scatter, powder, dredge, sift, spray, cover, spread, strew
1. 2.1 Sprinkle (a powdered substance) on to something.
  orange powder was dusted over the upper body
  Example sentencesExamples
  She quickly rubbed baby oil all over him and then she dusted him with talcum powder.
  The chocolate biscuit cake dusted with coconut was great as a kiddie bribe and also went smoothly with my afternoon coffee.
  That said, I'm a bit of a picnic pedant; I have to have little twists of salt and pepper to dust on to my crisp salad or a ripe tomato or two.
  Next to the salad you'll find rings of raw onion lightly dusted with the zesty, purple-red sumac, which brightens up the taste of the meat in a subtle, but noticeable way.
  Sweetbread dusted in a spiced powder and roast whole was just so, but it was impaired by a dice of scallops.
  If dusted with cocoa powder, as they often are, these are thought to look like freshly dug real truffles.
  Or, roast some root vegetables, dusted with spices and tossed in olive oil, for 30-40 minutes.
  He leans forward to tie a lace, his foot resting on the wheel arch, the skin on his sculptural face so clear and refined, it's as if it has been dusted with gold.
  Perhaps your cat would like her basket rearranged with a new throw and a little wee pillow all lightly dusted with catnip.
  I imagine them in an eight by six metre space glowing ripe and juicy, dusted with a sprinkling of rain.
  It was spacious, it had a nice boardwalk linking the seating areas, lightly dusted with sand for effect.
  Whichever noodles you choose, don't forget to dust some diced garlic powder onto them to add more fragrance.
  Leave the tart to cool and dust with cocoa powder.
  But this lot was made with gingerbread, which was dusted with powdered sugar and pepper.
  Silica Gel is the same drying agent used in packing or flower drying and can be ground to a powder to dust onto insects.
  This along with the spices should be dusted over the mixed fruit and nuts, kneaded together.
  As I tucked into my fries, each lightly dusted with salt, I could feel my entire system sighing with relief.
  We'll dust ourselves with clay and fossilized feces, fashion a tool driven by a concept, something to blow their little minds.
  The croutons are toasted and dusted with sugar and spices.
  Water was available at all times, and the bats were fed daily with mealworms dusted with multivitamin powder.
3US informal Beat up or kill someone.
the officers dusted him up a little bit

Phrases

dust and ashes

Used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something.
the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn't come
Example sentencesExamples
- If he were able to remember - really remember - that voice, he would hunger only to hear it once more, and its perfection would turn all other voices, all other music, to dust and ashes in his mouth.
- Time and time again he let it run away with him and leave him with dust and ashes.
- A book may safely age, and so it matters not a jot if one waits another year to read it; try it now, 'tis dust and ashes, wait a year, it is a feast, with table settings and all.
- I'm glad, it seems so wrong to think of them lying side by side, even though I know there's nothing left of them but dust and ashes.

the dust settles

Things quiet down.
she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten
Example sentencesExamples
- You know, every time something happens and then the dust settles and they begin to raise their head over the parapet, they're then shot down again with yet more revelations.
- He will lead the Irish team home triumphantly today but, when the celebrations end, the cheering dies down and the dust settles, there are questions to be answered.
- But when the dust settles after the opening exchanges and we approach the business end of tournaments, we still expect to see the familiar faces of football's elite.
- But once the dust settles and shoppers in record numbers continue to be attracted to the town the inevitable spin off will make virtually everyone a beneficiary.
- When the dust settles on the discussion of the merits and the disadvantages of boarding school life, one fact emerges: no matter how you tell it, it's still high school.
- And I suspect that when all the dust settles, we'll come up with a new version of the bill in January that the White House has put its imprimatur on from the beginning.
- The Coastal Development Committee had asked its members to boycott last elections in protest against the leaders never giving an ear to their woes once the dust settles down after each election.
- Settled into the cosy confines of his expensive rehabilitation centre, he has not only found one of the few places where he can be sealed off from the media until the dust settles but has created a cast-iron alibi.
- I can only hope that when all is said and done, when the dust settles and time casts light back on our time in office that the people will see that we tried to give something back as well.
- When the dust settles and the mud dries, we are going to see all over America, a nation that will lose patience with the needs of a foreign refugee population.

eat someone's dust

informal Fall far behind someone in a competitive situation.
Example sentencesExamples
- I ran ahead of both of them and left them eating my dust.
- Make sure your brother eats your dust on the go-cart track!
- And his five fellow competitors were soon left eating his dust as he took first place in the Senior Class National Championships.
- ‘Get ready to eat my dust Wallace,’ she warned, hopping out of the car on their arrival.
- If they still don't budge, let 'em eat your dust!
- We have had close competition on the two opening rounds, losing out to him on the first and letting him eat our dust on round two.
- ‘Hey,’ Vincent laughed, ‘Looks like you're eating my dust.’
- If she hadn't she would have carried on running and left me eating her dust but she didn't.
- These losers might treat you and your friends like dirt now, but they'll end up eating your dust.
- The game does offer wheel-to-wheel, fender banging fun, especially when there are real people in the room to bark at when you've just left them eating your dust.

gather (or collect) dust

Remain unused.
some professors let their computers gather dust
Example sentencesExamples
- His report gathers dust as the benefits system becomes ever more complicated.
- She was extremely interested in ancient Egypt and the mysteries that she knew still remained hidden in undiscovered passages, collecting dust.
- The sink, mopping bucket, and various cleaning supplies lay unused in the corner of the room, collecting dust and cobwebs.
- A survey last year revealed many parents put the value of unused and unwanted toys gathering dust in their cupboards at up to £500.
- With that title, it sounds like the sort of hardcore skin-flick which gathers dust and sweaty fingerprints on a shelf in Amsterdam.
- Many families also have unused sports equipment sitting in their garage gathering dust, which we can turn into cash.
- Often times, they even have a seemingly obsolete computer that is unused and is gathering dust somewhere.
- It could have remained that way, disused and neglected, gathering dust and cobwebs.
- The result is another shirt, pair of pants or shoes that remain in the closet, collecting dust for years to come.
- Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting dust in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home.

leave someone/something in the dust

Surpass someone or something easily.
today's modems leave their predecessors in the dust
Example sentencesExamples
- Indulge me for a moment: it's not every day, or even every weekend, that all of one's progeny leaves the competition in the dust - well, in its wake, literally.
- All cellphones must adapt to harness this technology or they will be left in the dust.
- We're not targeting journalists - we're just leaving them in the dust.
- If you don't constantly renew and improve your business offerings, Las Vegas will leave you in the dust.
- ‘Other nations will eat our lunch, leave us in the dust, make the past success a blip on the screen - use whatever metaphor you like for a profound defeat - if we don't act now, fast and with focus,’ he said.
- After choosing your desired capacity you should take a close look at performance, since there are some sticks out there that easily leave their competition in the dust.
- So what humans need to do is to grow and to continue merging with technology, or else we will be left in the dust.
- The current news onslaught of grisly fluff is a symptom of media priorities that have left democratic possibilities in the dust.
- I think that somehow in the spiral that is the path that we are following, outsourcing all these jobs, the real people who live in my community and in your community and all the other communities are left in the dust.
- So although I'm sad for her today, she is going leave us in the dust.

Origin

Old English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist ‘chaff’.

单词	dust
释义	Definition of dust in English: dust noun dʌstdəst 1mass noun Fine, 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 Example sentencesExamples It takes five to seven days for the atmospheric currents to carry dust, smoke or industrial pollutants from Asia to the US. Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR. Instead he brushed a bit of dust off his dirty sleeve, as if this tiny bit of dust really mattered, compared to all the soot and blood staining his clothing. Once his large body hit the ground a cloud of dust and dirt filled the room. Are we going to see small clouds of dust when fighting on dusty grounds? We forded the home river, and with bouncing wheels and an all-enveloping cloud of red dust, ground our way up the opposite bank. The door rattled a bit and small particles of dust floated to the ground. He also suddenly noticed that the ground fog was down to thin wisps revealing the bare dirt that erupted in tiny clouds of dust with each footfall. Within an instant, a swirling cloud of dust from the sandy ground was kicked up. Clouds of dust billowed from the surface, but it was comfortable enough. It may also by carried by dust and long grass contaminated by infected animals so if one beast develops the condition, the others should be moved out of that pasture. There's thick dust on every surface, your kitchen's caked in layers of fat, and the bathroom just doesn't bear thinking about. However, it means no waxing or polishing is necessary; surface dust and dirt can be removed by light hosing from time to time. A breeze ruffled her cloak and brought up little clouds of dust from the ground. Particulates and dust in Earth's atmosphere along the line of sight tend to absorb blue light more effectively than red light. The most popular theory is that a cloud of dust smothered the earth in a thick haze that would have blocked out the sun. Soiled with dust and ground-in dirt, taped and re-taped, the pages were beginning to fall apart. They have appointed a German company to carry out tests on dust in surrounding homes and flats and asked residents to keep a diary of when they spot pollution coming from the chimney. Fine particles of dust will get everywhere - even if you section off the room, but you may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house. My boots raised small clouds of dust from the ground as I followed the rutted and rocky little goat-trail up the hillside. Synonyms fine powder, fine particles dirt, grime, filth, smut, soot 1.1with modifier Any material in the form of tiny particles. coal dust Example sentencesExamples He printed on shopping bags and plexiglas and placed unconventional material like diamond dust on his prints. And even after they'd cleaned up you could still see the coal dust under their skin. If inhaled, cadmium dust causes dryness of the throat, choking, headache, and pneumonia-like symptoms. Sections 28 through 43 consolidate the rules regarding asbestos, silica and coal dust. Black sputum is a sign of inhalation of particles, usually from cigarettes, but classically from coal dust in miners. Coal dust sifts through her hair, invading eyes, nose, and mouth. Water sprayed on the huge exposed seam settles dust and keeps the air clean, and prevents a fire hazard with explosive coal dust. St Mary Le Strand is small and filthy on the outside from centuries of pea-soupers, coal dust and modern day pollution. Pressure last night mounted on the Government to end the shame of some former mineworkers crippled by coal dust being denied proper compensation. The Millennium Stadium on match days is absolutely brimming with redundant miners, with coal dust in their hair and their pick-axes left at the turnstiles. Pneumoconiosis is caused by inhaling coal dust. Among the characters is the driver who bequeathed to his family the stubborn speck of coal dust in his eye. These are badly in need of renovation - years of coal dust have darkened them. Smothered in coal dust, we looked like the Black and White Minstrels, and the removal of our lab goggles just made us look even more ridiculous. The bags were found to contain coal dust and ended up sitting in the cellar for many years until the bill was settled. He was working with a stone-dusting crew, a safety procedure to minimise the risks of a potentially fatal coal dust explosion underground. When the strike began, his father was a few days from early retirement, a victim of coal dust and the lung disease emphysema. Comets are thought to be remnants from the earliest days of the solar system, containing pristine space dust and other material from this crucial period. ‘Now that there's no longer coal dust lying atop of everything, you can see how beautiful this country really is,’ says Red. At least 36 miners were killed and 30 injured yesterday in an underground methane and coal dust explosion in eastern Ukraine. 1.2in singular A fine powder. he ground it into a fine dust Example sentencesExamples The planet's shrouded surface has cooled, and this allowed the winds to die down and the fine dust to begin settling. Grind the saffron to a fine dust in a pestle and mortar. Day and night, I hear his jaws crunching through the wood, grinding it to a fine dust. The suit was speckled with a dust almost entirely consisting of dandruff. A fine dust had settled over the grass, the remains of our home, and now with each step he took a footprint was left behind and I shivered hard. He noticed that one of his arms was outstretched and covered in a fine dust. In assessing whether or not a particular dust found under certain conditions is likely to prove harmful to those exposed, a number of factors needs to be considered. As if for good measure, a fine dust of freckles was sprinkled over her little nose. All that would result would be a fine dust and that'd blow away in the first wind, taking all the goodness of the soil away with it. When the pick hit a chunk of rock it would send at a sonic blast that would reduce it to a fine dust. The tissue was ground to a fine dust, the DNA extracted. The bones crumble to a fine dust that whips past us, leaving only the forgotten fires still raging in the kitchen. Applied as a dust to soil, the bacteria coat the leaves of emerging seedlings and fight the fungus. The aquatint ground is usually formed by covering the plate with a fine dust of powdered resin, which is then fused to the plate by heat. Every window in the ship shattered into a fine dust, and all the humans felt like they were vibrating severely. His desk fared slightly worse: a large chunk of it was now settling gently into the thick oriental carpet in the form of a fine dust. Silver iodide is used to make rain, by sprinkling it as a fine dust onto rainclouds, which leads to condensation. Most of the album is considerably less warped, but a chilly, haunted ambience settles over the whole recording like a fine dust. Its fibers become moldy very easily, and the mold breaks the fiber into a fine dust. The samples were cut repeatedly with scissors and then ground to a fine dust with an agate mortar and pestle. 1.3in singular A cloud of dust. Example sentencesExamples From time to time, the flash of her camera lights up the dust in whirling clouds. Infrared wavelengths, which are a little longer than visible light, merely wiggle through the dust in the cloud. Troy couldn't see a thing, the dust clouded his vision, and his head had hit into the rock as he had landed. 1.4literary A dead person's remains. scatter my dust and ashes Example sentencesExamples When the boy awakened from his coma fully he would discover that all he knew were dead and dust. He was tense and coiled, and if looks could kill, she would already have been a pile of ash and dust. Why should we be doomed to grow old, gray, yellow and saggy before we turn to ashes and dust? Before him and everyone else, the army dissolved into dust and ash. Their bodies are dust, their voices gone; now only documents exist to indicate their unpleasant fates. 1.5literary The mortal human body. the soul, that dwells within your dust Example sentencesExamples Creatures are dust and ashes that rightly should tremble before the Judgement Throne of a just, benevolent and fearful deity who metes out punishment and reward. Finally, the best advice of the week comes from an American comedian who asks you to remember both that you are dust and ashes and that the world was created just for you. Luther said of himself, ‘I am dust and ashes and full of sin.’ But Genesis is a narrative, and its historical and spiritual truths are authenticated in the actions and characters of men and women of flesh and blood, dust and ashes. We are mortals, made of dust and need your spirit to moisten our brows. Abraham answered, ‘Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.’ He suggests not, and translates the text, ‘Therefore I retract and change my mind, being but dust and ashes.’ 2in singular An act of dusting. a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs Example sentencesExamples If it does, a quick dust with a damp cloth will round up rogue particles or pollen. Never the less he gave it a quick dust, fitted the terminator device and left. Synonyms clean, sweep, wipe, mop verb dʌstdəst [with object] 1Remove the dust or dirt from the surface of (something) by wiping or brushing it. I broke the vase I had been dusting pick yourself up and dust yourself down no object she washed and dusted and tidied Example sentencesExamples To mark the change there is a huge clean out, the temple is dusted and washed from top to bottom. His desk was dusted clean, revealing reflections on the varnished wooden surface. I cleaned two pairs of boots, swept and dusted the room and the hall and got the breakfast up. He also told her about cleaning his room and dusting the pictures and other small things like that. She got up slowly, dusting the specks of dirt off her pants, and walked towards the door. Anyway, I dusted my hands clean of that place, and what a load feels like it's been lifted. Spotting a broom at the other end of the room she dusted the shelves and washed the walls. You were to dust my bookshelves and wash the windows and clean the carpets twice a week. We cleaned out the dog house (which our cat also uses), dusted the inside, and cleaned and dusted the dog's bed. I opened the box and dusted the fine haired brush before applying the dark fingerprinting dust with gentle strokes onto the glass to make the prints visible. Watching the old Chinese at work, removing the piles, piece by piece and dusting them, I spotted what looked like a life-size torso lying under a twisted heap. I dusted the sand and dirt off of my blue jean skirt. Recently a homeowner in Finland was engaged in a ritual spring cleaning, which included emptying the bookshelves and dusting each volume. The equipment will all be cleaned and dusted the night before. For the whole of her first day in her grandmother's old house, Emma swept cobwebs from the ceilings and dusted furniture and washed walls and floors. The boy finished his half, dusted his hands clean, bit his lip, and raised a hand in farewell. The film loader is not very clean and should I try cleaning and dusting it or simply buy a new one? The boots were dusted clean by many of the players that returned to the squad. Removing dead leaves and flowers as well as wiping or dusting the leaves of your plants will keep them happy and healthy and keep your indoor garden looking gorgeous. And the hospital is kept thoroughly clean and dusted every day - and that included the tops of cupboards and places that you do not normally see. Synonyms wipe, clean, buff, brush, sweep, mop 1.1dust something down/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 Example sentencesExamples Old wars are re-fought, old loves are rekindled and old friendships are dusted off temporarily before being hastily returned to the box marked ‘gone and pretty much forgotten’. Since the 1950s, this excuse has been dusted off whenever yet another revolutionary hero was exposed as a tyrant. Not only did it suggest the Minstermen have re-established a base camp from which to rise but they are dusted down and ready to re-conquer earlier summits. Along with the new releases some staples have been dusted off for another viewing. But there is also a downside to fame, the one in which family skeletons are dusted down in public. Yet again, the old Battle of Britain headlines will be dusted down. Yesterday, an old friend told me she was asking lots of people what their favorite books were, so I metaphorically dusted it off, tweaked it, and sent this. It pains me (and I speak from first-hand knowledge) to see these heroes of mine totally neglected, except when they are dusted off like ornaments on our shelves to put on ‘show’ whenever relatives are about to visit. In a region where history is never consigned to the dustbin, ancient hostilities are dusted down almost daily. Most of us, I believe, have other things to do with our time and leave our part in the democratic process to the next time the ballot boxes are dusted down. Trench coats, slouch hats and Tommy guns were dusted off and called into service again, at least until new cues could be established. But, after about 15 years, I found myself dusting it off to perform in different plays. Nor is she an astute social observer, except in the sense that she has an unerring eye for what clichés are au courant, and what clichés can be dusted off and made new again. Yes that's right, its time to dust the cobwebs off the old wooden racket, tighten the strings on the shiny racket that has only seen a tennis ball in two weeks total out of this last four years. The idea remained dormant for more than 25 years until Miller dusted it off and tried it on. And by ‘somewhat’ I note it's been 29 weeks and 5 days since we last dusted it off and bestowed it on a worthy individual. No doubt this suggestion will be dusted off again as the argument hots up. Under New Labour, Tory policies have been dusted down and briskly put into effect without any real opposition. But today of all days he had to bring it out and dust it off. There, like elsewhere across Beirut, generators have been dusted off and overhead wires have once again become a common sight. 2Cover lightly with a powdered substance. roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar Example sentencesExamples Mix the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly dust the John Dory fillets, shaking off the excess flour. When he enters her new digs, he tracks paw prints in the layer of flour that dusts everything in sight. Turn out the mixture on to a surface lightly dusted with flour and shape into a round of about 2.5cm thick. North of the little village of shops, rows of houses could be seen at the foot of a chain of majestic mountains that were dusted lightly with snow. Her hand reached for her brush to dust a tiny bit more color onto her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind. A little flour can be dusted to prevent stickiness while making the roti. There was sand covering the tires and snow dusted lightly across the top. Here is a tapestry of shape and subtle colour, with dried stems, flowers, leaves and seedheads lightly dusted with frost. It earns its name (meunier is French for miller) because the underside of its downy leaves can look as though they have been dusted with flour. Serve at room temperature, dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Or maybe I should just dust myself with a bit of self raising flour before I go out to give the home baking look? The fields look as if they have been dusted with flour for baking. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a 35 cm square. Transfer to a sheet pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. Lightly dust bronzing powder on your forehead, cheeks and browbone, anywhere the sun would hit. I went into the front sitting room, and dusted everything with a thick coat of white wheat flour! It was his mom, wearing a navy apron that was dusted in flour. Lightly dust your countertop with flour and transfer the dough onto it. He removed his jacket in the laundry room, dusting the floor with snowflakes. Transfer the dough to a flat work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Synonyms sprinkle, scatter, powder, dredge, sift, spray, cover, spread, strew dot, fleck, freckle, dab literary befleck, bestrew, besprinkle 2.1 Sprinkle (a powdered substance) on to something. orange powder was dusted over the upper body Example sentencesExamples It was spacious, it had a nice boardwalk linking the seating areas, lightly dusted with sand for effect. Or, roast some root vegetables, dusted with spices and tossed in olive oil, for 30-40 minutes. Next to the salad you'll find rings of raw onion lightly dusted with the zesty, purple-red sumac, which brightens up the taste of the meat in a subtle, but noticeable way. Silica Gel is the same drying agent used in packing or flower drying and can be ground to a powder to dust onto insects. Water was available at all times, and the bats were fed daily with mealworms dusted with multivitamin powder. That said, I'm a bit of a picnic pedant; I have to have little twists of salt and pepper to dust on to my crisp salad or a ripe tomato or two. The croutons are toasted and dusted with sugar and spices. She quickly rubbed baby oil all over him and then she dusted him with talcum powder. Sweetbread dusted in a spiced powder and roast whole was just so, but it was impaired by a dice of scallops. We'll dust ourselves with clay and fossilized feces, fashion a tool driven by a concept, something to blow their little minds. Whichever noodles you choose, don't forget to dust some diced garlic powder onto them to add more fragrance. Perhaps your cat would like her basket rearranged with a new throw and a little wee pillow all lightly dusted with catnip. This along with the spices should be dusted over the mixed fruit and nuts, kneaded together. He leans forward to tie a lace, his foot resting on the wheel arch, the skin on his sculptural face so clear and refined, it's as if it has been dusted with gold. The chocolate biscuit cake dusted with coconut was great as a kiddie bribe and also went smoothly with my afternoon coffee. Leave the tart to cool and dust with cocoa powder. If dusted with cocoa powder, as they often are, these are thought to look like freshly dug real truffles. As I tucked into my fries, each lightly dusted with salt, I could feel my entire system sighing with relief. But this lot was made with gingerbread, which was dusted with powdered sugar and pepper. I imagine them in an eight by six metre space glowing ripe and juicy, dusted with a sprinkling of rain. 3US informal Beat up or kill someone. the officers dusted him up a little bit Phrases be done and dusted informal (of a project) be completely finished or ready. Example sentencesExamples This late flurry of activity means that I'll just have some loose ends to tie up on Monday, and that's my little project done and dusted and almost on schedule. All the deliveries were well underway, all the marketing promotions done and dusted, and he was piling into a new battle on a different front - the planning for next summer's onslaught. But it's done and dusted now, and I think everyone is just trying to get on with snooker and get the sport going again. But in the morning, with all done and dusted, and what remained of the spell completely broken, this awful quietness and retreat descended upon the room. There has been a variation in the ways people have raised money but we still need the commitment of people, we are not done and dusted yet. Had it not been for two delightful chips, one a sand wedge into the hole on 14, the other a stone-dead effort from the rough three holes later, the match would have been done and dusted by lunchtime. So, wouldn't it be great if you could arrive at the airport at a civilised time, with all the formalities done and dusted, then skip to the front of the check-in queue to have your baggage tagged? But, if possible, Downing Street wants to wait until all its flagship legislation on crime and public sector reform is done and dusted before going to war with Peers once again. You can do it until you are 25, but I just wanted to get it done and dusted. Well, no matter that the original coursework is done and dusted, this is still a thread for talking about the film and its influences, and I hope my post above wasn't entirely redundant. Synonyms completed, finished, prepared, organized, done, arranged, fixed, in readiness dust and ashes Used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something. the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn't come Example sentencesExamples I'm glad, it seems so wrong to think of them lying side by side, even though I know there's nothing left of them but dust and ashes. If he were able to remember - really remember - that voice, he would hunger only to hear it once more, and its perfection would turn all other voices, all other music, to dust and ashes in his mouth. Time and time again he let it run away with him and leave him with dust and ashes. A book may safely age, and so it matters not a jot if one waits another year to read it; try it now, 'tis dust and ashes, wait a year, it is a feast, with table settings and all. the dust settles Things quieten down. she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten Example sentencesExamples You know, every time something happens and then the dust settles and they begin to raise their head over the parapet, they're then shot down again with yet more revelations. When the dust settles on the discussion of the merits and the disadvantages of boarding school life, one fact emerges: no matter how you tell it, it's still high school. Settled into the cosy confines of his expensive rehabilitation centre, he has not only found one of the few places where he can be sealed off from the media until the dust settles but has created a cast-iron alibi. When the dust settles and the mud dries, we are going to see all over America, a nation that will lose patience with the needs of a foreign refugee population. He will lead the Irish team home triumphantly today but, when the celebrations end, the cheering dies down and the dust settles, there are questions to be answered. And I suspect that when all the dust settles, we'll come up with a new version of the bill in January that the White House has put its imprimatur on from the beginning. I can only hope that when all is said and done, when the dust settles and time casts light back on our time in office that the people will see that we tried to give something back as well. But when the dust settles after the opening exchanges and we approach the business end of tournaments, we still expect to see the familiar faces of football's elite. But once the dust settles and shoppers in record numbers continue to be attracted to the town the inevitable spin off will make virtually everyone a beneficiary. The Coastal Development Committee had asked its members to boycott last elections in protest against the leaders never giving an ear to their woes once the dust settles down after each election. eat someone's dust informal Fall far behind someone in a competitive situation. Example sentencesExamples I ran ahead of both of them and left them eating my dust. ‘Get ready to eat my dust Wallace,’ she warned, hopping out of the car on their arrival. ‘Hey,’ Vincent laughed, ‘Looks like you're eating my dust.’ And his five fellow competitors were soon left eating his dust as he took first place in the Senior Class National Championships. The game does offer wheel-to-wheel, fender banging fun, especially when there are real people in the room to bark at when you've just left them eating your dust. If they still don't budge, let 'em eat your dust! If she hadn't she would have carried on running and left me eating her dust but she didn't. These losers might treat you and your friends like dirt now, but they'll end up eating your dust. We have had close competition on the two opening rounds, losing out to him on the first and letting him eat our dust on round two. Make sure your brother eats your dust on the go-cart track! gather (or collect) dust Remain unused. some professors let their computers gather dust Example sentencesExamples The sink, mopping bucket, and various cleaning supplies lay unused in the corner of the room, collecting dust and cobwebs. Often times, they even have a seemingly obsolete computer that is unused and is gathering dust somewhere. His report gathers dust as the benefits system becomes ever more complicated. A survey last year revealed many parents put the value of unused and unwanted toys gathering dust in their cupboards at up to £500. The result is another shirt, pair of pants or shoes that remain in the closet, collecting dust for years to come. Many families also have unused sports equipment sitting in their garage gathering dust, which we can turn into cash. With that title, it sounds like the sort of hardcore skin-flick which gathers dust and sweaty fingerprints on a shelf in Amsterdam. Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting dust in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home. She was extremely interested in ancient Egypt and the mysteries that she knew still remained hidden in undiscovered passages, collecting dust. It could have remained that way, disused and neglected, gathering dust and cobwebs. leave someone/something in the dust Surpass someone or something easily. today's modems leave their predecessors in the dust Example sentencesExamples So although I'm sad for her today, she is going leave us in the dust. So what humans need to do is to grow and to continue merging with technology, or else we will be left in the dust. All cellphones must adapt to harness this technology or they will be left in the dust. Indulge me for a moment: it's not every day, or even every weekend, that all of one's progeny leaves the competition in the dust - well, in its wake, literally. After choosing your desired capacity you should take a close look at performance, since there are some sticks out there that easily leave their competition in the dust. If you don't constantly renew and improve your business offerings, Las Vegas will leave you in the dust. ‘Other nations will eat our lunch, leave us in the dust, make the past success a blip on the screen - use whatever metaphor you like for a profound defeat - if we don't act now, fast and with focus,’ he said. The current news onslaught of grisly fluff is a symptom of media priorities that have left democratic possibilities in the dust. We're not targeting journalists - we're just leaving them in the dust. I think that somehow in the spiral that is the path that we are following, outsourcing all these jobs, the real people who live in my community and in your community and all the other communities are left in the dust. not see someone for dust Find that a person has made a hasty departure. kick up (a) dust informal Create a disturbance. Example sentencesExamples A deal like this was bound to kick up dust in Washington. If we do too much to kick up dust, we might create enough clouds to change the climate. People using the entry at Charlotte St which connects as a short cut to Clermount Gardens are kicking up a dust about activity in the Lane at night, when the place turns into another drinking den. So, as consumers look to frozen novelties for a fun, indulgent treat as they have for decades, the better-for-you land rush continues to kick up dust. And one more Florida native hops on the trance bandwagon that's zooming across the planet, kicking up dust at every rave from Halifax to Ho Chi Mihn City. Yet it seems to an area where few are prepared to kick up dust to repair. A bunch of young Pakistani players kicked up dust and memories at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium on January 27. Synonyms make a fuss, kick up a fuss, cause a row, cause a commotion, cause a disturbance, cause uproar, cause a fracas, cause a rumpus, make a racket Derivatives dustless adjective Chris ran a finger along a dustless steel shelf, his eyes wandering over the various weapons. Example sentencesExamples I walked in the center of the city, on the concrete pavements lining the dustless roads. The wardrobe and dressing table were dustless, the carpet on the floor was soft and a rich red colour, the light purple silk drapes hung limp on the windows. The door slid open easily and from the dustless chamber she drew out a bundle. However, such days are happily gone and the dogs and I sit, as I write, in our dustless paradise. Origin Old English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist 'chaff'. Our word dust is related to Dutch duist ‘chaff, meal dust, bran’, and the ancient meaning appears to have been ‘material that rises in a cloud of smoke’. Various biblical uses of dust have settled in the language. To shake the dust off your feet derives from the Gospel of Matthew: ‘And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.’ The phrase dust and ashes, used to convey a great sense of disappointment or disillusion, is found in the books of Genesis and Job. It refers back to the legend of the Sodom apple or Dead Sea fruit, whose attractive appearance tempted people but which tasted only of dust and ashes when eaten. A dusty answer is a curt and unhelpful reply. The expression comes from the 1862 poem ‘Modern Love’ by George Meredith: ‘Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul / When hot for certainties in this our life!’ Rhymes adjust, august, bust, combust, crust, encrust, entrust, gust, just, lust, mistrust, must, robust, rust, thrust, trust, undiscussed noun.1 phr. Definition of dust in US English: dust noundəstdəst 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 Example sentencesExamples Fine particles of dust will get everywhere - even if you section off the room, but you may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house. He also suddenly noticed that the ground fog was down to thin wisps revealing the bare dirt that erupted in tiny clouds of dust with each footfall. Instead he brushed a bit of dust off his dirty sleeve, as if this tiny bit of dust really mattered, compared to all the soot and blood staining his clothing. They have appointed a German company to carry out tests on dust in surrounding homes and flats and asked residents to keep a diary of when they spot pollution coming from the chimney. Are we going to see small clouds of dust when fighting on dusty grounds? Within an instant, a swirling cloud of dust from the sandy ground was kicked up. We forded the home river, and with bouncing wheels and an all-enveloping cloud of red dust, ground our way up the opposite bank. It takes five to seven days for the atmospheric currents to carry dust, smoke or industrial pollutants from Asia to the US. However, it means no waxing or polishing is necessary; surface dust and dirt can be removed by light hosing from time to time. It may also by carried by dust and long grass contaminated by infected animals so if one beast develops the condition, the others should be moved out of that pasture. Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR. Soiled with dust and ground-in dirt, taped and re-taped, the pages were beginning to fall apart. Once his large body hit the ground a cloud of dust and dirt filled the room. A breeze ruffled her cloak and brought up little clouds of dust from the ground. The most popular theory is that a cloud of dust smothered the earth in a thick haze that would have blocked out the sun. Particulates and dust in Earth's atmosphere along the line of sight tend to absorb blue light more effectively than red light. My boots raised small clouds of dust from the ground as I followed the rutted and rocky little goat-trail up the hillside. There's thick dust on every surface, your kitchen's caked in layers of fat, and the bathroom just doesn't bear thinking about. The door rattled a bit and small particles of dust floated to the ground. Clouds of dust billowed from the surface, but it was comfortable enough. Synonyms fine powder, fine particles 1.1with modifier Any material in the form of tiny particles. coal dust Example sentencesExamples ‘Now that there's no longer coal dust lying atop of everything, you can see how beautiful this country really is,’ says Red. Comets are thought to be remnants from the earliest days of the solar system, containing pristine space dust and other material from this crucial period. St Mary Le Strand is small and filthy on the outside from centuries of pea-soupers, coal dust and modern day pollution. Black sputum is a sign of inhalation of particles, usually from cigarettes, but classically from coal dust in miners. Pneumoconiosis is caused by inhaling coal dust. The bags were found to contain coal dust and ended up sitting in the cellar for many years until the bill was settled. He was working with a stone-dusting crew, a safety procedure to minimise the risks of a potentially fatal coal dust explosion underground. These are badly in need of renovation - years of coal dust have darkened them. Smothered in coal dust, we looked like the Black and White Minstrels, and the removal of our lab goggles just made us look even more ridiculous. Sections 28 through 43 consolidate the rules regarding asbestos, silica and coal dust. When the strike began, his father was a few days from early retirement, a victim of coal dust and the lung disease emphysema. Coal dust sifts through her hair, invading eyes, nose, and mouth. Pressure last night mounted on the Government to end the shame of some former mineworkers crippled by coal dust being denied proper compensation. At least 36 miners were killed and 30 injured yesterday in an underground methane and coal dust explosion in eastern Ukraine. The Millennium Stadium on match days is absolutely brimming with redundant miners, with coal dust in their hair and their pick-axes left at the turnstiles. He printed on shopping bags and plexiglas and placed unconventional material like diamond dust on his prints. Water sprayed on the huge exposed seam settles dust and keeps the air clean, and prevents a fire hazard with explosive coal dust. If inhaled, cadmium dust causes dryness of the throat, choking, headache, and pneumonia-like symptoms. And even after they'd cleaned up you could still see the coal dust under their skin. Among the characters is the driver who bequeathed to his family the stubborn speck of coal dust in his eye. 1.2in singular A fine powder. he ground it into a fine dust Example sentencesExamples All that would result would be a fine dust and that'd blow away in the first wind, taking all the goodness of the soil away with it. In assessing whether or not a particular dust found under certain conditions is likely to prove harmful to those exposed, a number of factors needs to be considered. Most of the album is considerably less warped, but a chilly, haunted ambience settles over the whole recording like a fine dust. The aquatint ground is usually formed by covering the plate with a fine dust of powdered resin, which is then fused to the plate by heat. Applied as a dust to soil, the bacteria coat the leaves of emerging seedlings and fight the fungus. He noticed that one of his arms was outstretched and covered in a fine dust. The bones crumble to a fine dust that whips past us, leaving only the forgotten fires still raging in the kitchen. The samples were cut repeatedly with scissors and then ground to a fine dust with an agate mortar and pestle. The suit was speckled with a dust almost entirely consisting of dandruff. Silver iodide is used to make rain, by sprinkling it as a fine dust onto rainclouds, which leads to condensation. The tissue was ground to a fine dust, the DNA extracted. His desk fared slightly worse: a large chunk of it was now settling gently into the thick oriental carpet in the form of a fine dust. The planet's shrouded surface has cooled, and this allowed the winds to die down and the fine dust to begin settling. A fine dust had settled over the grass, the remains of our home, and now with each step he took a footprint was left behind and I shivered hard. As if for good measure, a fine dust of freckles was sprinkled over her little nose. Every window in the ship shattered into a fine dust, and all the humans felt like they were vibrating severely. Day and night, I hear his jaws crunching through the wood, grinding it to a fine dust. Its fibers become moldy very easily, and the mold breaks the fiber into a fine dust. When the pick hit a chunk of rock it would send at a sonic blast that would reduce it to a fine dust. Grind the saffron to a fine dust in a pestle and mortar. 1.3in singular A cloud of dust. Example sentencesExamples From time to time, the flash of her camera lights up the dust in whirling clouds. Troy couldn't see a thing, the dust clouded his vision, and his head had hit into the rock as he had landed. Infrared wavelengths, which are a little longer than visible light, merely wiggle through the dust in the cloud. 1.4literary A dead person's remains. scatter my dust and ashes Example sentencesExamples Why should we be doomed to grow old, gray, yellow and saggy before we turn to ashes and dust? Their bodies are dust, their voices gone; now only documents exist to indicate their unpleasant fates. Before him and everyone else, the army dissolved into dust and ash. When the boy awakened from his coma fully he would discover that all he knew were dead and dust. He was tense and coiled, and if looks could kill, she would already have been a pile of ash and dust. 1.5literary The mortal human body. the soul, that dwells within your dust Example sentencesExamples Creatures are dust and ashes that rightly should tremble before the Judgement Throne of a just, benevolent and fearful deity who metes out punishment and reward. But Genesis is a narrative, and its historical and spiritual truths are authenticated in the actions and characters of men and women of flesh and blood, dust and ashes. We are mortals, made of dust and need your spirit to moisten our brows. Abraham answered, ‘Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.’ Luther said of himself, ‘I am dust and ashes and full of sin.’ He suggests not, and translates the text, ‘Therefore I retract and change my mind, being but dust and ashes.’ Finally, the best advice of the week comes from an American comedian who asks you to remember both that you are dust and ashes and that the world was created just for you. 2in singular An act of dusting. a quick dust, to get rid of the cobwebs Example sentencesExamples Never the less he gave it a quick dust, fitted the terminator device and left. If it does, a quick dust with a damp cloth will round up rogue particles or pollen. Synonyms clean, sweep, wipe, mop verbdəstdəst [with object] 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 Example sentencesExamples To mark the change there is a huge clean out, the temple is dusted and washed from top to bottom. You were to dust my bookshelves and wash the windows and clean the carpets twice a week. The boy finished his half, dusted his hands clean, bit his lip, and raised a hand in farewell. His desk was dusted clean, revealing reflections on the varnished wooden surface. And the hospital is kept thoroughly clean and dusted every day - and that included the tops of cupboards and places that you do not normally see. The film loader is not very clean and should I try cleaning and dusting it or simply buy a new one? The boots were dusted clean by many of the players that returned to the squad. The equipment will all be cleaned and dusted the night before. She got up slowly, dusting the specks of dirt off her pants, and walked towards the door. Watching the old Chinese at work, removing the piles, piece by piece and dusting them, I spotted what looked like a life-size torso lying under a twisted heap. Recently a homeowner in Finland was engaged in a ritual spring cleaning, which included emptying the bookshelves and dusting each volume. I cleaned two pairs of boots, swept and dusted the room and the hall and got the breakfast up. Anyway, I dusted my hands clean of that place, and what a load feels like it's been lifted. I dusted the sand and dirt off of my blue jean skirt. I opened the box and dusted the fine haired brush before applying the dark fingerprinting dust with gentle strokes onto the glass to make the prints visible. He also told her about cleaning his room and dusting the pictures and other small things like that. Spotting a broom at the other end of the room she dusted the shelves and washed the walls. We cleaned out the dog house (which our cat also uses), dusted the inside, and cleaned and dusted the dog's bed. Removing dead leaves and flowers as well as wiping or dusting the leaves of your plants will keep them happy and healthy and keep your indoor garden looking gorgeous. For the whole of her first day in her grandmother's old house, Emma swept cobwebs from the ceilings and dusted furniture and washed walls and floors. Synonyms wipe, clean, buff, brush, sweep, mop 1.1dust 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 Example sentencesExamples There, like elsewhere across Beirut, generators have been dusted off and overhead wires have once again become a common sight. Most of us, I believe, have other things to do with our time and leave our part in the democratic process to the next time the ballot boxes are dusted down. And by ‘somewhat’ I note it's been 29 weeks and 5 days since we last dusted it off and bestowed it on a worthy individual. Not only did it suggest the Minstermen have re-established a base camp from which to rise but they are dusted down and ready to re-conquer earlier summits. Trench coats, slouch hats and Tommy guns were dusted off and called into service again, at least until new cues could be established. But there is also a downside to fame, the one in which family skeletons are dusted down in public. No doubt this suggestion will be dusted off again as the argument hots up. Nor is she an astute social observer, except in the sense that she has an unerring eye for what clichés are au courant, and what clichés can be dusted off and made new again. Old wars are re-fought, old loves are rekindled and old friendships are dusted off temporarily before being hastily returned to the box marked ‘gone and pretty much forgotten’. Yet again, the old Battle of Britain headlines will be dusted down. Along with the new releases some staples have been dusted off for another viewing. But today of all days he had to bring it out and dust it off. Yes that's right, its time to dust the cobwebs off the old wooden racket, tighten the strings on the shiny racket that has only seen a tennis ball in two weeks total out of this last four years. But, after about 15 years, I found myself dusting it off to perform in different plays. Yesterday, an old friend told me she was asking lots of people what their favorite books were, so I metaphorically dusted it off, tweaked it, and sent this. In a region where history is never consigned to the dustbin, ancient hostilities are dusted down almost daily. Under New Labour, Tory policies have been dusted down and briskly put into effect without any real opposition. Since the 1950s, this excuse has been dusted off whenever yet another revolutionary hero was exposed as a tyrant. The idea remained dormant for more than 25 years until Miller dusted it off and tried it on. It pains me (and I speak from first-hand knowledge) to see these heroes of mine totally neglected, except when they are dusted off like ornaments on our shelves to put on ‘show’ whenever relatives are about to visit. 1.2dust someone offBaseball Deliver a pitch very near a batter so they must fall to the dirt to avoid being hit by it. 2usually be dustedCover lightly with a powdered substance. roll out on a surface dusted with flour Example sentencesExamples Or maybe I should just dust myself with a bit of self raising flour before I go out to give the home baking look? I went into the front sitting room, and dusted everything with a thick coat of white wheat flour! Mix the flour with salt and pepper, and lightly dust the John Dory fillets, shaking off the excess flour. Lightly dust bronzing powder on your forehead, cheeks and browbone, anywhere the sun would hit. It was his mom, wearing a navy apron that was dusted in flour. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough out into a 35 cm square. North of the little village of shops, rows of houses could be seen at the foot of a chain of majestic mountains that were dusted lightly with snow. It earns its name (meunier is French for miller) because the underside of its downy leaves can look as though they have been dusted with flour. Turn out the mixture on to a surface lightly dusted with flour and shape into a round of about 2.5cm thick. A little flour can be dusted to prevent stickiness while making the roti. Here is a tapestry of shape and subtle colour, with dried stems, flowers, leaves and seedheads lightly dusted with frost. The fields look as if they have been dusted with flour for baking. Transfer to a sheet pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. Serve at room temperature, dusted lightly with powdered sugar. He removed his jacket in the laundry room, dusting the floor with snowflakes. When he enters her new digs, he tracks paw prints in the layer of flour that dusts everything in sight. Her hand reached for her brush to dust a tiny bit more color onto her cheeks when she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind. There was sand covering the tires and snow dusted lightly across the top. Lightly dust your countertop with flour and transfer the dough onto it. Transfer the dough to a flat work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Synonyms sprinkle, scatter, powder, dredge, sift, spray, cover, spread, strew 2.1 Sprinkle (a powdered substance) on to something. orange powder was dusted over the upper body Example sentencesExamples She quickly rubbed baby oil all over him and then she dusted him with talcum powder. The chocolate biscuit cake dusted with coconut was great as a kiddie bribe and also went smoothly with my afternoon coffee. That said, I'm a bit of a picnic pedant; I have to have little twists of salt and pepper to dust on to my crisp salad or a ripe tomato or two. Next to the salad you'll find rings of raw onion lightly dusted with the zesty, purple-red sumac, which brightens up the taste of the meat in a subtle, but noticeable way. Sweetbread dusted in a spiced powder and roast whole was just so, but it was impaired by a dice of scallops. If dusted with cocoa powder, as they often are, these are thought to look like freshly dug real truffles. Or, roast some root vegetables, dusted with spices and tossed in olive oil, for 30-40 minutes. He leans forward to tie a lace, his foot resting on the wheel arch, the skin on his sculptural face so clear and refined, it's as if it has been dusted with gold. Perhaps your cat would like her basket rearranged with a new throw and a little wee pillow all lightly dusted with catnip. I imagine them in an eight by six metre space glowing ripe and juicy, dusted with a sprinkling of rain. It was spacious, it had a nice boardwalk linking the seating areas, lightly dusted with sand for effect. Whichever noodles you choose, don't forget to dust some diced garlic powder onto them to add more fragrance. Leave the tart to cool and dust with cocoa powder. But this lot was made with gingerbread, which was dusted with powdered sugar and pepper. Silica Gel is the same drying agent used in packing or flower drying and can be ground to a powder to dust onto insects. This along with the spices should be dusted over the mixed fruit and nuts, kneaded together. As I tucked into my fries, each lightly dusted with salt, I could feel my entire system sighing with relief. We'll dust ourselves with clay and fossilized feces, fashion a tool driven by a concept, something to blow their little minds. The croutons are toasted and dusted with sugar and spices. Water was available at all times, and the bats were fed daily with mealworms dusted with multivitamin powder. 3US informal Beat up or kill someone. the officers dusted him up a little bit Phrases dust and ashes Used to convey a feeling of great disappointment or disillusion about something. the party would be dust and ashes if he couldn't come Example sentencesExamples If he were able to remember - really remember - that voice, he would hunger only to hear it once more, and its perfection would turn all other voices, all other music, to dust and ashes in his mouth. Time and time again he let it run away with him and leave him with dust and ashes. A book may safely age, and so it matters not a jot if one waits another year to read it; try it now, 'tis dust and ashes, wait a year, it is a feast, with table settings and all. I'm glad, it seems so wrong to think of them lying side by side, even though I know there's nothing left of them but dust and ashes. the dust settles Things quiet down. she hoped that the dust would settle quickly and the episode be forgotten Example sentencesExamples You know, every time something happens and then the dust settles and they begin to raise their head over the parapet, they're then shot down again with yet more revelations. He will lead the Irish team home triumphantly today but, when the celebrations end, the cheering dies down and the dust settles, there are questions to be answered. But when the dust settles after the opening exchanges and we approach the business end of tournaments, we still expect to see the familiar faces of football's elite. But once the dust settles and shoppers in record numbers continue to be attracted to the town the inevitable spin off will make virtually everyone a beneficiary. When the dust settles on the discussion of the merits and the disadvantages of boarding school life, one fact emerges: no matter how you tell it, it's still high school. And I suspect that when all the dust settles, we'll come up with a new version of the bill in January that the White House has put its imprimatur on from the beginning. The Coastal Development Committee had asked its members to boycott last elections in protest against the leaders never giving an ear to their woes once the dust settles down after each election. Settled into the cosy confines of his expensive rehabilitation centre, he has not only found one of the few places where he can be sealed off from the media until the dust settles but has created a cast-iron alibi. I can only hope that when all is said and done, when the dust settles and time casts light back on our time in office that the people will see that we tried to give something back as well. When the dust settles and the mud dries, we are going to see all over America, a nation that will lose patience with the needs of a foreign refugee population. eat someone's dust informal Fall far behind someone in a competitive situation. Example sentencesExamples I ran ahead of both of them and left them eating my dust. Make sure your brother eats your dust on the go-cart track! And his five fellow competitors were soon left eating his dust as he took first place in the Senior Class National Championships. ‘Get ready to eat my dust Wallace,’ she warned, hopping out of the car on their arrival. If they still don't budge, let 'em eat your dust! We have had close competition on the two opening rounds, losing out to him on the first and letting him eat our dust on round two. ‘Hey,’ Vincent laughed, ‘Looks like you're eating my dust.’ If she hadn't she would have carried on running and left me eating her dust but she didn't. These losers might treat you and your friends like dirt now, but they'll end up eating your dust. The game does offer wheel-to-wheel, fender banging fun, especially when there are real people in the room to bark at when you've just left them eating your dust. gather (or collect) dust Remain unused. some professors let their computers gather dust Example sentencesExamples His report gathers dust as the benefits system becomes ever more complicated. She was extremely interested in ancient Egypt and the mysteries that she knew still remained hidden in undiscovered passages, collecting dust. The sink, mopping bucket, and various cleaning supplies lay unused in the corner of the room, collecting dust and cobwebs. A survey last year revealed many parents put the value of unused and unwanted toys gathering dust in their cupboards at up to £500. With that title, it sounds like the sort of hardcore skin-flick which gathers dust and sweaty fingerprints on a shelf in Amsterdam. Many families also have unused sports equipment sitting in their garage gathering dust, which we can turn into cash. Often times, they even have a seemingly obsolete computer that is unused and is gathering dust somewhere. It could have remained that way, disused and neglected, gathering dust and cobwebs. The result is another shirt, pair of pants or shoes that remain in the closet, collecting dust for years to come. Do a little spring cleaning - unused equipment that has been collecting dust in the bottom of lockers for years should be taken home. leave someone/something in the dust Surpass someone or something easily. today's modems leave their predecessors in the dust Example sentencesExamples Indulge me for a moment: it's not every day, or even every weekend, that all of one's progeny leaves the competition in the dust - well, in its wake, literally. All cellphones must adapt to harness this technology or they will be left in the dust. We're not targeting journalists - we're just leaving them in the dust. If you don't constantly renew and improve your business offerings, Las Vegas will leave you in the dust. ‘Other nations will eat our lunch, leave us in the dust, make the past success a blip on the screen - use whatever metaphor you like for a profound defeat - if we don't act now, fast and with focus,’ he said. After choosing your desired capacity you should take a close look at performance, since there are some sticks out there that easily leave their competition in the dust. So what humans need to do is to grow and to continue merging with technology, or else we will be left in the dust. The current news onslaught of grisly fluff is a symptom of media priorities that have left democratic possibilities in the dust. I think that somehow in the spiral that is the path that we are following, outsourcing all these jobs, the real people who live in my community and in your community and all the other communities are left in the dust. So although I'm sad for her today, she is going leave us in the dust. Origin Old English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist ‘chaff’. noun.1 phr.
随便看	duck the issue/question duck the question duckwalk duckweed duckweeds ducky duco duct ductal ductal ducti ductible ductile ductilities ductility ductility ducting duction ductless ductless ductor ducts duct tape ductular extinguishment