turn to dust
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To decay or disintegrate completely
Literally: become dust
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The old mansion turned to dust over the years
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
tiêu tan
(verb) to go to pot; to dissipate; to be brought to ruin; to be reduced to ashes; to end in smoke; to turn to dust and ashes
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
end in smoke
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
English · via tiêu tan
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “turn to dust” mean?
To decay or disintegrate completely Literally: become dust
Is “turn to dust” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“tiêu tan” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.