- 1[uncountable] a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of sand, earth, etc. A cloud of dust rose as the truck pulled away. The workers wear masks to avoid inhaling the dust. see cosmic dust Thesaurussoil
- dirt
- mud
- dust
- clay
- land
- earth
- ground
- soil the top layer of the earth in which plants grow:Plant the seedlings in damp soil.
- dirt soil, especially loose soil:Pack the dirt firmly around the plants.
- mud wet soil that is soft and sticky:The car got stuck in the mud.
- dust a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of rock, earth, etc:A cloud of dust rose as the truck pulled away.
- clay a type of heavy sticky soil that becomes hard when it is baked and is used to make things such as pots and bricks:The tiles are made of clay.
- land an area of ground, especially of a particular type:an area of rich, fertile land
- earth the substance that plants grow in or where people are buried after they die
- ground an area of soil:The ground was still wet from the rain. They drove across miles of rough, rocky ground. Ground is not used for loose soil:a handful of dry ground
- good/rich soil/land/earth
- fertile/infertile soil/land/ground
- to dig (at/in) the soil/mud/clay/land/earth/ground
- to cultivate/plow the soil/land/earth
- 2the fine powder of dirt that forms in buildings, on furniture, floors, etc. The books were all covered with dust. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere in the room. She is allergic to house dust. That guitar's been sitting gathering dust (= not being used) for years now.
- 3a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of a particular substance coal/gold dust see dusty Idioms
- 1to fail, or to be defeated or destroyed Thousands of small businesses bite the dust every year.
- 2(humorous) to die
to leave someone far behind
to wait for a situation to become clear or certain He waited for the dust to settle after the election before making any new decisions.
Check pronunciation: dust