poussière
/pu.sjɛʁ/feminine
The English word 'dust' is translated into French as poussière.
poussière refers to fine, dry particles. It is also used in the idiom mordre la poussière, which means to fail or be defeated, mirroring the English expression 'to bite the dust'.
Meaning: fine, dry particles (noun)
Which one should you use?
The adjective forms of this noun are poussiéreux for masculine contexts and poussiéreuse for feminine contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
poussière is a feminine noun, so it is preceded by the feminine article la to form la poussière (the dust).
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/pu.sjɛʁ/', 'syllables': 2}
Did you know?
- The French word poussière is a cognate of the English word 'pulverize'. Both descend from the Latin 'pulvis' meaning 'dust'.
- In French, poussière d'étoiles can be used as a metaphor for a magical spark or a sense of wonder, moving beyond the literal meaning of cosmic matter.
- The expression mordre la poussière is not just about failure, but specifically evokes a soldier falling face-first into the dirt during a battle.
Examples in context
- Elle écarta la poussière.She brushed away the dust.This sentence shows the action of brushing away poussière.Tatoeba #4760210 by sacredceltic, translation #312172 by CK
- Songe que tu es poussière.Bear in mind that you are dust.This sentence uses poussière in a metaphorical sense regarding human mortality.Tatoeba #829119 by sacredceltic, translation #662593 by bluepie88
- Il va mordre la poussière.He will bite the dust.This sentence illustrates the idiom mordre la poussière meaning to fail or be defeated.Tatoeba #10507978 by pkill, translation #11848858 by calypsow
- J'ai besoin de passer l'aspirateur pour enlever cette poussière.I need to vacuum to get rid of this dust.
- Je déteste cette saloperie de poussière qui s'accumule partout.I hate this damn dust that accumulates everywhere.
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are cleaning their shared apartment.
- LucasIl y a trop de poussière ici.There is too much dust here.
- ChloéJe vais prendre le chiffon.I will take the cloth.
- LucasNettoie bien la poussière sur la table.Clean the dust off the table well.
- ChloéC'est fait, Lucas.It is done, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dust” translations and entries poussière, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries poussière, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
