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
Joseph StrombergAdd pearl onions, mushrooms, and a dusting of marjoram.—Hali Ramdene
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
James PoniewozikExamples of dusting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And post-bake, a dusting of parmesan will enhance the umami notes.
—Jessie Sheehan, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
After a neighboring farmer used a plane for crop dusting, men at Chen’s farm threatened to shoot it out of the sky, Hawk said in an interview.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024
On her cheeks, nothing too brash, just a faint dusting of coral blush to sculpt and define.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024
Inside the Emporio Armani showroom, models delighted in a dusting of (fake) snow, some twirling down the runway with umbrellas aloft.
—Colleen Barry, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024
This classic recipe needs no adornment, but a dusting of powdered sugar and a few berries can dress it up for Easter.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2024
By the time most of Kansas City was waking up on Wednesday, a dusting of snow covered the ground in some areas and the record-tying 73-degree moment less than 24 hours before was more than 60 degrees warmer than an unofficial morning low of 12 degrees recorded at Kansas City International Airport.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2024
As the trail nears its terminus at FR 618, tree cover increases with a dusting of piñon pine joining the mix of mesquite, scrub oak and sharp-spined crucifixion thorn.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024
Material Reusable dusting tools are commonly made of microfiber.
—Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024
Jessie Sheehan, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
After a neighboring farmer used a plane for crop dusting, men at Chen’s farm threatened to shoot it out of the sky, Hawk said in an interview.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024
On her cheeks, nothing too brash, just a faint dusting of coral blush to sculpt and define.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024
Inside the Emporio Armani showroom, models delighted in a dusting of (fake) snow, some twirling down the runway with umbrellas aloft.
—Colleen Barry, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024
This classic recipe needs no adornment, but a dusting of powdered sugar and a few berries can dress it up for Easter.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2024
By the time most of Kansas City was waking up on Wednesday, a dusting of snow covered the ground in some areas and the record-tying 73-degree moment less than 24 hours before was more than 60 degrees warmer than an unofficial morning low of 12 degrees recorded at Kansas City International Airport.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2024
As the trail nears its terminus at FR 618, tree cover increases with a dusting of piñon pine joining the mix of mesquite, scrub oak and sharp-spined crucifixion thorn.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024
Material Reusable dusting tools are commonly made of microfiber.
—Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dusting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusting. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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