dust 1 of 2

noun

ˈdəst How to pronounce dust (audio)
Definition of dustnext
1
as in debris
discarded or useless material the piles of dust that future archaeologists will sift through for insights into our civilization

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soil
the solid part of our planet's surface as distinguished from the sea and air laid him out in the dust with one blow to the head

Synonyms & Similar Words

dust

2 of 2

verb

as in to smoke
to defeat by a large margin the inexperienced sprinter somehow dusted the field of veterans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dust
Noun
Wash and dry the container between every bag Don’t pour fresh food into a container that still has crumbs, grease or dust from the last batch. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026 The arrival of Saharan dust is usually good news for the tropics, but bad for allergies and respiratory issues. — Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Verb
Pae recommends dusting it onto the high points of the face with a small fan brush for a glass-skin effect. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 July 2026 Keeping up with dusting on a regular basis will help the air quality in your home and make those cozy nights on the couch much more comfortable. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dust
  1. debris
  2. soil
  3. smoke
  4. garbage
  5. land
  6. bury
  7. trash
  8. ground
Noun
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • The largest of the debris aprons covers 50 square miles (130 square kilometers), which would be large enough to bury a small city or a large town.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • Alford also commented on the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the long-standing interpretation that anyone born on American soil is an American citizen.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
  • German rockets launching from Canadian soil may be a bridge to that until Canadian companies can develop their own boosters.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
Definition of soil
Verb
  • The actors had to learn how to smoke cigarettes the way people did in the 1920s.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • This year’s celebration comes on the heels of a late June warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that released extraordinary amounts of soot and smoke across the county, on par with pollution generated by the previous year’s wildfires.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of smoke
Noun
  • Building a new garbage incinerator plant now would cost Miami-Dade County $3 billion under a private development deal that’s facing criticism by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, according to a recent memo.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • The notice of violation was issued on July 12, after the agency received more than 40 public complaints of rotten, sour, garbage-type odors in the area.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • Played by the talented Halle Bailey, young mermaid Ariel yearns to be on land, has the hots for Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) – who at least gets a character arc this time – and agrees to a bad deal with witchy Ursula (Melissa McCarthy).
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • El Dorado Hills is one step closer to cityhood — and greater influence on land use — as its draft environmental study appeared before the community services district’s board Thursday night.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of land
Verb
  • Each of the women were buried in matching underground chambers, with the princess Ita followed by Khenmet, Itaweret, and an anonymous woman assumed to be their sister Sathathormeryt.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 17 July 2026
  • The largest of the debris aprons covers 50 square miles (130 square kilometers), which would be large enough to bury a small city or a large town.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of bury
Noun
  • Attorneys for the owners of the landfill, which stopped accepting trash last year, claimed this spring in the litigation that the lawsuits may be tainted by fraud.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • The concrete bleachers around the basketball court was teeming with trash, plastic cups, and bottles of alcohol.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • While on the road - Opt for the middle lanes and remain on higher ground.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • But like its tenacious relic-hunting heroine, the enduring property is always treading new ground.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Definition of ground

Phrases Containing dust

Browse Nearby Words

dusky
dust
dustbin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dust. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on dust

Nglish: Translation of dust for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dust

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All