dusting

1 of 2

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

dusting

2 of 2

present participle of dust entry 2

Examples of dusting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

From Hood River, head south toward Mount Hood, which may already have its first dusting of snow. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026

The soft, tender cookies are packed with raspberry filling and finished with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2026

In order to keep hair healthy, most pros recommend at least three dustings a year and embracing split-end treatments, such as Briogeo’s Don’t Despair, Repair! — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026

Plant Shallowly Date palm seeds are rather large, but plant them like the tiny seeds of carrots or radishes—hidden just below the soil’s surface with a light dusting over the top. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dusting

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