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

The two-in-one crevice dusting brush, and the ability to convert from a cordless stick to a handheld adds functionality for other cleaning scenarios. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025

This cake can be finished simply with a dusting of powdered sugar, or with a glossy caramel glaze or brown sugar icing, but can also be served simply with a dusting of powdered sugar. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025

Cakes, pastries, and dustings of chocolate powder litter the pages of this book. —Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025

The finished product resembles a cross between a savory pancake and a pizza, and is garnished with a drizzle of mayonnaise, a brush of sweet sauce, and a dusting of powdered seaweed. —Kim Kay, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 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