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

Last year, the DEA's lab in Chicago showed how a small dusting of fentanyl could kill someone. — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Another sweet dish, the Star Spangled Frybread, comes with a sweet glaze, topped with festive red, white and blue sprinkles and finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar from Its Dough Time for $12. — Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 9 July 2026

Unlike traditional dusting, vacuuming removes debris completely rather than allowing it to be airborne again. — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 9 July 2026

Sofa cushions, pillows, and throws would be fluffed and tidied and nearly all surfaces would receive a quick dusting. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 6 July 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