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to dust

to dust

29 2.5
To cover something with a light layer of fine powder
  • verb
  • /dʌst/
: espolvorear
  • His grandfather was in the barn dusting off the saddles and straightening the tackle.

You guys know, so I'm just going to dust it over my under eyes.

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Examples

  • I had been baking, and flour dusted the front of my shirt and the tops of my shoes.

    Academic text (2011)
  • OK, now I'll dust it on my forehead.

  • So we're just going to like kind of dust press on to this area.

  • -To dust a bit and to check on Harry.

  • You guys know, so I'm just going to dust it over my under eyes.

  • We're going to dust it straight across the forehead.

  • So I was thinking we could dust off some canvasses and see what comes of it.

  • But I'm going to use this to just dust some bronzer around.

  • Turn the cake out onto a rack and allow it to cool, then dust with confectioners' sugar.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She will dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Synonyms

to sprinkle
vsto dust
106 1.1

To put small drops of liquid or tiny pieces on something

focuses on dry fine particles rather than liquids
to scatter
vsto dust
86 2.8

To spread small things like leaves or seeds over an area without order

applies to fine particles on a surface rather than wide spreading
to disperse
vsto dust
81 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

means applying a fine layer of particles to a surface not breaking groups
to dot
vsto dust
36 3.0

To appear as small marks across an area, like stars in the sky

creates an overall powdering rather than isolated spots
to powder
vsto dust
24 3.8

To put a fine dry substance on skin, hair or food

is used generally for covering surfaces with fine particles rather than body application
to mote
vsto dust
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To become covered with small bits of dust

is the common modern verb for sprinkling fine powder or particles
to smatter
vsto dust
  • Archaic
1 8.8

To cover with small drops or spots like mud and paint

involves finer, more even particles rather than separate spots
to besprinkle
vsto dust
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To scatter small drops or bits lightly over something

means a fuller, more even covering rather than a light scattering

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To remove dirt and stains

Idioms

to bite the dust
  • Informal
15 6.8

To stop working or fail completely

7 7.4

To be left far behind by someone in a race or game

To go far ahead of someone in speed or success

in the dust
  • Informal
3 7.1

Far behind others because someone else is much better

2 4.1

A time when things become calm and clear after a big change

to return to dust
  • Literature
1 8.3

To slowly fall apart and disappear over time

1 7.7

Very rare and hard to get

1 9.9

To leave quickly so nobody sees you again

to see for dust
  • Informal
1 9.9

To never see someone again after they leave quickly

To delay action or decisions until things become clearer

Do much better than other companies or teams

End arguments about a decision by giving a clear answer

Leave a place after a bad experience and not return

Phrasal Verbs

22 3.5

Get something ready again after it has not been used

To be completely ruined and lose all value

to collect dust
  • Informal
10 3.7

To stay unused or forgotten and become covered in dust

1 6.4

To leave past problems behind and start again

To collect dust when it is not used

To remove dust from rugs by hitting or shaking them

7.5

To beat others easily by being much faster or better

Compounds

21 2.2

Strong wind that lifts dust and sand into the air and makes it hard to see

19 6.5

A dry area with strong dust storms that ruined farms in the 1930s

12 2.9

A visible cloud of fine dust hanging in the air

10 4.2

Small pieces of gold that you find in rivers or the ground

angel dust
  • NSFW
7 9.9

An illegal drug that makes you see or hear things that are not real

4 6.3

A small spinning column of air that lifts dust and leaves

3 4.1

A removable paper cover that protects a book and shows a picture or information

cosmic dust
  • Specialized
3 6.3

Tiny pieces of rock and gas that float in space between stars

2 3.1

A removable cover, often plastic or cloth, that protects machines like a printer from dust when not in use

2 2.7

Fine powder that appears when someone writes on a blackboard

Tiny particles that fall after a nuclear explosion or accident and give off harmful radiation

2 2.4

A mop with a long handle and a soft dry head that removes dust from floors

2 2.1

Having a thin layer of dust on it

1 3.9

A very fine glitter powder used on skin or crafts to give shine

1 2.0

A bag inside a vacuum cleaner that collects dust and dirt when you clean

dust-collector
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A machine that removes dust from the air in workshops and factories

1 2.7

A paper cover on a book that protects it and shows the title and author

1 2.7

A large cloth used to cover furniture when not in use to protect it from dust

interplanetary dust
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Tiny particles in space that float between the planets

dust contamination
  • Specialized
1 4.6

Small bits of dust that make a surface dirty or unsafe

1 4.7

A long loose piece of clothing you wear over other clothes to protect them from dust

1 7.0

A small ball of dust, hair, and crumbs that collects under furniture

1 5.9

A removable paper cover that protects a book and often has pictures or text

6.9

Very small ice crystals near the ground that sparkle in cold clear weather

A large cloth put over furniture to keep off dust

hell dust
  • NSFW
9.9

A slang word for the illegal drug heroin

How Covered

to coat
63 2.8
to powder
24 3.8
to dust
29 2.5
to sprinkle
106 1.1

Surface Forms

dust infinitive
dusted past
dusted past participle
dusting present participle
dusts third person singular

Etymology

Dust (verb 'to sprinkle') comes from the noun idea of small particles and means to cover something lightly with powder, like when you dust a cake with sugar. That's why this verb is about adding a thin layer of fine particles.