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

As snow levels descend, lower elevations could see a light dusting, potentially catching drivers unprepared. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025

Even a generous dusting of powdered sugar didn’t help. —Ivy Odom, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025

While no snow is in the immediate forecast, a light dusting on the San Francisco Peaks may be possible. —Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025

Plus, the vacuum has a carbon fiber soft dusting brush and a mattress tool for home cleaning. —PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025

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