dusting

noun

dust·​ing ˈdə-stiŋ 

plural dustings

1

: the act of making something clean by brushing or wiping away dirt and dust from the surface

The furniture needs a good dusting.

2

a

: a small amount of something that falls or is sprinkled over a surface

During summer, the cracked floor looks prehistoric under the desert sun; during winter, it's intermittently covered by sheets of ice and dustings of snow.

—Joseph Stromberg

Add pearl onions, mushrooms, and a dusting of marjoram.

—Hali Ramdene

b

: a faint or slight quality or amount

… sporting a dusting of stubble, DiSpirito runs Union Pacific, a paragon of gilded, inventive Manhattan dining.

—James Poniewozik

Examples of dusting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Keep up with dusting, vacuuming and mopping so dampness, dust and food residue do not linger. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026

Plus, the vacuum includes a soft carbon-fiber dusting brush and a mattress tool for home cleaning. — Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 23 June 2026

For those who want to take a day trip to hike in Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park—a little over an hour away—winter is ideal, with steady warm temperatures and a photogenic dusting of snow on the volcanoes. — Zanny Merullo, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2026

Don't forget to serve it with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and whipped cream. — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 19 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dusting

• busting
• crusting
• gusting
• lusting
• rusting
• thrusting
• trusting
• adjusting
• disgusting
• distrusting
• encrusting
• entrusting