dust

¹dust

noun \ˈdəst\

Definition of DUST

1

: fine particles of matter (as of earth)

2

: the particles into which something disintegrates

3

a : something worthless

b : a state of humiliation

4

a : the earth especially as a place of burial

b : the surface of the ground

5

a : a cloud of dust

b : confusion, disturbance

6

archaic : a single particle (as of earth)

7

British : refuse ready for collection

— dust·less \-ləs\ adjective

— dust·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

Examples of DUST

1. The floor was covered with dust.
2. You can see the dust particles floating through the air.
3. There is not a speck of dust in that house.
4. As the car sped down the dirt road, it left a cloud of dust behind.
5. He wiped the chalk dust off his hands.

Origin of DUST

Middle English, from Old English dūst; akin to Old High German tunst storm, and probably to Latin fumus smoke — more at fume

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to DUST

Synonyms

chaff, deadwood, debris, dreck (also drek), dross, garbage, effluvium (also effluvia), junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste

Related Words

crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains, rubble, ruins; dump, scrap heap; lumber, odds and ends, trumpery; flotsam, jetsam, wreckage; castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway; nothing, straw, two bits

Near Antonyms

catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

Rhymes with DUST

bust, crust, gust, just, lust, must, musth, rust, thrust, trust

²dust

verb

Definition of DUST

transitive verb

1

archaic : to make dusty

2

: to make free of dust <dust the living room>

3

a : to sprinkle with fine particles <a cake dusted with sugar>

b : to sprinkle in the form of dust

4

: to throw a fastball close to (a batter) : brush back —often used with off

5

: to defeat badly (as in a race)

intransitive verb

1

of a bird : to work dust into the feathers

2

: to remove dust

3

: to give off dust

Examples of DUST

1. I dust at least once a week.
2. Dust the pan with flour.
3. The crops will be dusted with pesticide.

First Known Use of DUST

1530

Related to DUST

Synonyms

annihilate, blow away, bomb, bury, clobber, cream, drub, whip, flatten, paste, rout, shellac, skin, skunk, smoke [slang], smother, snow under, thrash, trim, tromp, trounce, wallop, wax [slang], whomp, whop (or whap), whup

Related Words

sweep, upset; beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst; crush, knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, subjugate, upend, vanquish; ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcend; edge (out), nose out, pip [British]; cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed; break, destroy, do in, finish, sink, slaughter