What (who) is dust - definition
SMALL PARTICLES IN THE AIR
House dust; Dust (dirt); Anti dust; Road dust; Dust control; Dust suppression; Dust resistant; Atmospheric dust; Aeolian dust; Dust mitigation
![Tarps and netting are often used to reduce the amount of dust released from [[construction site]]s.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Debris netting.JPG?width=200 "Tarps and netting are often used to reduce the amount of dust released from [[construction site]]s.")
![deposition]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/DustDeposition.png?width=200 "deposition]]")
![Large dust storm over [[Libya]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dust storm over Libya.jpg?width=200 "Large dust storm over [[Libya]]")
![Three years of use without cleaning has caused this [[laptop]] [[heat sink]] to become clogged with dust, and it can no longer be used as it may catch fire.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Laptop dust.jpg?width=200 "Three years of use without cleaning has caused this [[laptop]] [[heat sink]] to become clogged with dust, and it can no longer be used as it may catch fire.")
.jpg?width=200 "House dust under a microscope")
![Dry, windy weather sends clouds of dust across south-eastern [[Australia]].](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dust over Southeast Australia.jpg?width=200 "Dry, windy weather sends clouds of dust across south-eastern [[Australia]].")
![A pale brown plume of dust sweeps out of [[Argentina]]’s [[Pampa]]s.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Spring Bloom and Dust off Argentina.jpg?width=200 "A pale brown plume of dust sweeps out of [[Argentina]]’s [[Pampa]]s.")
![A thick dust plume over [[Kuwait]] and the north-western tip of the [[Persian Gulf]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Dust Extends from Saudi Arabia to Iran.jpg?width=200 "A thick dust plume over [[Kuwait]] and the north-western tip of the [[Persian Gulf]]")
dust
n.
1) to gather; raise dust
2) fine, powdery dust
3) cosmic; gold; radioactive; volcanic dust
4) a cloud; layer; particle of dust
5) dust collects; settles
6) (misc.) from dust to dust
dust
(dusts, dusting, dusted)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Dust is very small dry particles of earth or sand.
Tanks raise huge trails of dust when they move...
N-UNCOUNT
2.
Dust is the very small pieces of dirt which you find inside buildings, for example on furniture, floors, or lights.
I could see a thick layer of dust on the stairs...
N-UNCOUNT
3.
Dust is a fine powder which consists of very small particles of a substance such as gold, wood, or coal.
The air is so black with diesel fumes and coal dust, I can barely see.
N-UNCOUNT: oft n N
4.
When you dust something such as furniture, you remove dust from it, usually using a cloth.
I vacuumed and dusted the living room...
She dusted, she cleaned, and she did the washing-up.
VERB: V n, V
• dusting
I'm very fortunate in that I don't have to do the washing-up or the dusting.
N-UNCOUNT
5.
If you dust something with a fine substance such as powder or if you dust a fine substance onto something, you cover it lightly with that substance.
Lightly dust the fish with flour...
Dry your feet well and then dust between the toes with baby powder.
VERB: V n prep/adv, V adv/prep
6.
If you say that something has bitten the dust, you are emphasizing that it no longer exists or that it has failed. (HUMOROUS, INFORMAL)
In the last 30 years many cherished values have bitten the dust...
PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis]
7.
If you say that something will happen when the dust settles, you mean that a situation will be clearer after it has calmed down. If you let the dust settle before doing something, you let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else. (INFORMAL)
Once the dust had settled Beck defended his decision...
PHRASE: V inflects
8.
If you say that something is gathering dust, you mean that it has been left somewhere and nobody is using it or doing anything with it.
Many of the machines are gathering dust in basements...
PHRASE: V inflects
Dust
·noun Gold dust.
II. Dust ·noun Coined money; cash.
III. Dust ·vt To sprinkle with dust.
IV. Dust ·noun Figuratively, a worthless thing.
V. Dust ·noun Figuratively, a low or mean condition.
VI. Dust ·noun A single particle of earth or other matter.
VII. Dust ·noun The earth, as the resting place of the dead.
VIII. Dust ·vt To reduce to a fine powder; to Levigate.
IX. Dust ·noun The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.
X. Dust ·vt To free from dust; to brush, wipe, or sweep away dust from; as, to dust a table or a floor.
XI. Dust ·noun Fine, dry particles of earth or other matter, so comminuted that they may be raised and wafted by the wind; that which is crumbled too minute portions; fine powder; as, clouds of dust; bone dust.
Wikipedia
Dust
Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes is composed of about 20–50% dead skin cells. The rest, and in offices, and other human environments is composed of small amounts of plant pollen, human hairs, animal fur, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, burnt meteorite particles, and many other materials which may be found in the local environment.
Pronunciation examples for dust
1. Dust.
Physics of Star Trek _ Phil Kesten _ Talks at Google
2. to ashes, dust to dust."
Losing the Nobel Prize _ Brian Keating _ Talks at Google
3. to dust, or no thanks to dust."
Losing the Nobel Prize _ Brian Keating _ Talks at Google
4. Dust to dust is about right.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life _ Eric Idle _ Talks at Google
5. dust-bathe.
Mercy for Animals _ Nathan Runkle _ Talks at Google
Examples of use of dust
1. Sugar dust is considered a combustible dust, according the U.S.
2. Dust–covered The victims were covered in dust with bits of rubble tangled in their hair.
3. The dearth of dust could mean that shockwaves from the supernova blast destroyed more dust than originally thought.
4. Nature keeps the ring supplied with new dust while older dust spirals away or bangs back into the moon.
5. Dust from Africa‘s Sahara desert––the largest source of dust on the planet––reaches halfway around the globe.