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

Frequent hand washing, dusting, mopping and vacuuming regularly along with proper ventilation can help remove dust likely contaminated with plastics and other worrisome chemicals besides flame retardants. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

As 15 States Hit With Winter Weather Warning Parts of Indiana including Lafayette, Kokomo and Muncie will have a light dusting of up to 0.4 inches at 6 a.m. EST, with similar levels in parts of neighboring Ohio and up to 0.8 inches in parts of Illinois near the Indiana border. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Add a garnish of coffee beans, a dusting of powdered cinnamon, or both for an extra dash of flair. —Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

This whimsical coffee is sweetened with a peppermint syrup, topped with non-dairy matcha cold foam, and finished off with a dusting of candy sprinkles. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1