Meaning & use
left in the dust
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
far behind someone else in a race, contest, or effort, so that catching up seems impossible
Grammar: Used after 'be,' 'get,' or 'leave' as a passive phrase: 'We were left in the dust.'
Patterns
- be left in the dust
- get left in the dust
- leave someone in the dust
After the first lap, the other runners were left in the dust.
Their new software left the competition in the dust.
If we don't update our skills, we'll get left in the dust.
Common combinations
- leave someone in the dust
- The champion left all his rivals in the dust.
- be left in the dust
- Small shops were left in the dust by online giants.
- get left in the dust
- You'll get left in the dust if you don't keep learning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- left behind
- Means not keeping up, but it can be neutral or sad; 'left in the dust' emphasizes total defeat or humiliation.
- outclassed
- Focuses on being clearly worse in quality; 'left in the dust' focuses on the distance or gap in a race or contest.
Opposites
Commonly confused: left in the dust or bite the dust?
left in the dust vs bite the dust
Means to fail, die, or break down. 'Left in the dust' is about being far behind, not failing completely.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'left in the dust' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means to be far behind or defeated, so 'was left in the dust by newer plants' fits. The other options use 'left' as a simple verb of leaving, not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “left in the dust”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.