dust off
Idioms-
Restore to use. For example, I've dusted off last year's menu for the party . This usage alludes to cleaning and thereby renewing some object. [Mid-1900s]
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Pitch a baseball dangerously close to the batter's head, as in I'm sure he dusted him off on purpose . [ Slang ; 1920s]
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Finish off, kill; also, easily defeat. For example, They vowed to dust off the old man , or We'll dust off this team in no time . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Thrash, beat up, as in If he didn't hand over his wallet, they threatened to dust him off . [ Slang ; 1920s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m shaking the dust off my old guitar and taking lessons again,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
The building might well collapse but it doesn't deter them - they collect old breeze blocks and brush thick dust off an old red sofa.
From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025
Studios can dust off a movie they already own and create hype through marketing.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
You can also use a pastry brush or a clean, unused paintbrush to dust off the surfaces.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2025
I wait for him to erase this too, but he drops the chalk and brushes the dust off his hands, wiping them on his jeans.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
