Meaning of dust in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /dəst/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent

  1. Verb

    dust

    Definitions

    1. remove the dust from

    Examples

    • « dust the cabinets »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. rub the dust over a surface so as to blur the outlines of a shape

    Examples

    • « The artist dusted the charcoal drawing down to a faint image »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. cover with a light dusting of a substance

    Examples

    • « dust the bread with flour »
  4. 4. distribute loosely

    Examples

    • « He scattered gun powder under the wagon »

    Derived terms

  5. Noun

    dust

    Etymology

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

    Definitions

    1. fine powdery material such as dry earth or pollen that can be blown about in the air

    Examples

    • « the furniture was covered with dust »
  6. 2. the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up

    Derived terms

  7. 3. free microscopic particles of solid material

    Examples

    • « astronomers say that the empty space between planets actually contains measurable amounts of dust »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fact of your next dusting has already been established. »
    George Carlin
  • « That which you create in beauty and goodness and truth lives on for all time to come. Don't spend your life accumulating material objects that will only turn to dust and ashes. »
    Denis Waitley
  • « The pop musicians often leave meaning in the dust and substitute it for cartoons. The deeper artists - the grunge artists in the world and the emoticon people - tend to leave all of the happiness out of life like it just doesn't exist. »
    Hal Sparks
  • « His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. »
    Ernest Hemingway
  • « I didn't make my first solo record until 1981 so I don't have any 60's or 70's recordings but I am working on a large boxed set called DUST to be released next year, the 20th anniversary of my first solo record. »
    Adrian Belew

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