- [uncountable] a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of sand, earth, etc.
- A cloud of dust rose as the truck drove off.
- Fine particles of dust will get everywhere.
- The workers wear masks to avoid inhaling the dust.
Extra Examples- Dust swirled around them like a misty cloud.
- He brushed the dust off his clothes.
- He started coughing as dust filled his lungs.
- Remove any particles of dust on the surface of the paint.
- She shook the dust from her hair.
- The dust cleared and Hari could see a tiger.
- The wind was blowing dust through the streets of the city.
- microscopic specks of dust
- They rolled in the dust, fighting.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- airborne
- radioactive
- …
- cloud
- layer
- particle
- …
- collect
- gather
- be covered in
- …
- lie
- coat something
- cover something
- …
- cloud
- grain
- mote
- …
Definitions on the go
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- the fine powder of dirt that forms in buildings, on furniture, floors, etc.
- The books were all covered with dust.
- There was a thick layer of dust on the table.
- There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere in the room.
- She is allergic to house dust.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- airborne
- radioactive
- …
- cloud
- layer
- particle
- …
- collect
- gather
- be covered in
- …
- lie
- coat something
- cover something
- …
- cloud
- grain
- mote
- …
- a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of a particular substance
- coal dust
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fine
- airborne
- radioactive
- …
- cloud
- layer
- particle
- …
- collect
- gather
- be covered in
- …
- lie
- coat something
- cover something
- …
- cloud
- grain
- mote
- …
Word OriginOld English dūst, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duist ‘chaff’.
Idioms
See dust in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dust in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbite the dust (informal)
- to fail, or to be defeated or destroyed
- Thousands of small businesses bite the dust every year.
- (humorous) to die
collect/gather dust
- to not be used for a long time
- That guitar's been sitting there gathering dust for years now.
- Play your guitar that's gathering dust, or pull out the old tennis racket for a match.
- You may already have an old laptop that is collecting dust but otherwise usable.
leave somebody in the dust
- (North American English) to leave somebody far behind
let the dust settle | wait for the dust to settle
- 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