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
Joseph StrombergAdd pearl onions, mushrooms, and a dusting of marjoram.—Hali Ramdene
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
James PoniewozikExamples of dusting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The storms also left an early summer dusting of snow in area mountains, the Sacramento Bee reported.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
On Saturday, as the family reunited in the box following Coco’s win, Corey resumed dad duty, using a towel to wipe off her back and face, which had received a fine dusting of Roland-Garros' iconic clay after Coco fell to the ground.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 9 June 2025
Mountain peaks in central Idaho above 7,000 feet saw snow, ranging from a dusting to nearly an inch on Sunday, Anderson said.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2025
Extra soft white bread with the crusts removed gets layered with razor-thin English cucumbers (peeled, please, then lightly salted and drained), butter, a light dusting of fine pepper and perhaps a spray of fresh herbs such as dill.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dusting
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.
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2025
On Saturday, as the family reunited in the box following Coco’s win, Corey resumed dad duty, using a towel to wipe off her back and face, which had received a fine dusting of Roland-Garros' iconic clay after Coco fell to the ground.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 9 June 2025
Mountain peaks in central Idaho above 7,000 feet saw snow, ranging from a dusting to nearly an inch on Sunday, Anderson said.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2025
Extra soft white bread with the crusts removed gets layered with razor-thin English cucumbers (peeled, please, then lightly salted and drained), butter, a light dusting of fine pepper and perhaps a spray of fresh herbs such as dill.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dusting
Cite this Entry
“Dusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusting. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share