dust
♦ dust /d'ʌst/ (dusts dusting dusted)
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Dust is very small dry particles of earth or sand.
Tanks raise huge trails of dust when they move...
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
Dust is the very small pieces of dirt which you find inside buildings, for example on furniture, floors, or lights.
I could see a thick layer of dust on the stairs...
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft n N
Dust is a fine powder which consists of very small particles of a substance such as gold, wood, or coal.
The air is so black with diesel fumes and coal dust, I can barely see.
4 [VERB] V n, V
When you dust something such as furniture, you remove dust from it, usually using a cloth.
I vacuumed and dusted the living room...
She dusted, she cleaned, and she did the washing-up.
● dusting [N-UNCOUNT]
I'm very fortunate in that I don't have to do the washing-up or the dusting.
5 [VERB] V n prep/adv, V adv/prep
If you dust something with a fine substance such as powder or if you dust a fine substance onto something, you cover it lightly with that substance.
Lightly dust the fish with flour...
Dry your feet well and then dust between the toes with baby powder.
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something has bitten the dust, you are emphasizing that it no longer exists or that it has failed. (HUMOROUS, INFORMAL)
In the last 30 years many cherished values have bitten the dust...
7 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something will happen when the dust settles, you mean that a situation will be clearer after it has calmed down. If you let the dust settle before doing something, you let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else. (INFORMAL)
Once the dust had settled Beck defended his decision...
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something is gathering dust, you mean that it has been left somewhere and nobody is using it or doing anything with it.
Many of the machines are gathering dust in basements...dust jack|et (dust jackets)
also dust-jacket
[N-COUNT]
A dust jacket is a loose paper cover which is put on a book to protect it. It often contains information about the book and its author.dust off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
If you say that someone dusts something off or dusts it down, you mean they are using an old idea or method, rather than trying something new.
Critics were busy dusting down the same superlatives they had applied to their first three films...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V pron-refl P
If you say that someone has dusted himself or herself off or dusted himself or herself down, you mean that they have managed to recover from a severe problem which has affected their life.
She dusted herself down and left to build her own career...dust sheet (dust sheets)
also dustsheet
[N-COUNT]
A dust sheet is a large cloth which is used to cover objects such as furniture in order to protect them from dust.dust storm (dust storms)
[N-COUNT]
A dust storm is a storm in which strong winds carry a lot of dust.gold dust
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gold dust is gold in the form of a fine powder.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that a type of thing is like gold dust or is gold dust, you mean that it is very difficult to obtain, usually because everyone wants it. (BRIT)
Tickets were like gold dust.
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Dust is very small dry particles of earth or sand.
Tanks raise huge trails of dust when they move...
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
Dust is the very small pieces of dirt which you find inside buildings, for example on furniture, floors, or lights.
I could see a thick layer of dust on the stairs...
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft n N
Dust is a fine powder which consists of very small particles of a substance such as gold, wood, or coal.
The air is so black with diesel fumes and coal dust, I can barely see.
4 [VERB] V n, V
When you dust something such as furniture, you remove dust from it, usually using a cloth.
I vacuumed and dusted the living room...
She dusted, she cleaned, and she did the washing-up.
● dusting [N-UNCOUNT]
I'm very fortunate in that I don't have to do the washing-up or the dusting.
5 [VERB] V n prep/adv, V adv/prep
If you dust something with a fine substance such as powder or if you dust a fine substance onto something, you cover it lightly with that substance.
Lightly dust the fish with flour...
Dry your feet well and then dust between the toes with baby powder.
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something has bitten the dust, you are emphasizing that it no longer exists or that it has failed. (HUMOROUS, INFORMAL)
In the last 30 years many cherished values have bitten the dust...
7 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something will happen when the dust settles, you mean that a situation will be clearer after it has calmed down. If you let the dust settle before doing something, you let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else. (INFORMAL)
Once the dust had settled Beck defended his decision...
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that something is gathering dust, you mean that it has been left somewhere and nobody is using it or doing anything with it.
Many of the machines are gathering dust in basements...dust jack|et (dust jackets)
also dust-jacket
[N-COUNT]
A dust jacket is a loose paper cover which is put on a book to protect it. It often contains information about the book and its author.dust off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
If you say that someone dusts something off or dusts it down, you mean they are using an old idea or method, rather than trying something new.
Critics were busy dusting down the same superlatives they had applied to their first three films...
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V pron-refl P
If you say that someone has dusted himself or herself off or dusted himself or herself down, you mean that they have managed to recover from a severe problem which has affected their life.
She dusted herself down and left to build her own career...dust sheet (dust sheets)
also dustsheet
[N-COUNT]
A dust sheet is a large cloth which is used to cover objects such as furniture in order to protect them from dust.dust storm (dust storms)
[N-COUNT]
A dust storm is a storm in which strong winds carry a lot of dust.gold dust
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Gold dust is gold in the form of a fine powder.
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that a type of thing is like gold dust or is gold dust, you mean that it is very difficult to obtain, usually because everyone wants it. (BRIT)
Tickets were like gold dust.