sift

verb

ˈsift 

sifted; sifting; sifts

transitive verb

1

a

: to put through a sieve

sift flour

b

: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve

2

: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable

sifted the evidence

—often used with through

sift through a pile of old letters

3

: to scatter by or as if by sifting

sift sugar on a cake

intransitive verb

1

: to use a sieve

2

: to pass or fall as if through a sieve

sifter noun

Examples of sift in a Sentence

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.

Sift the lumps from the sugar.

The police sifted the evidence in hopes of finding a clue.

The police sifted for clues.

The lawyer sifted through the hundreds of pages of testimony.

Firefighters sifted through the debris.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her guide includes a soothing sound bath at Calming Spot in Santa Monica or sifting through records at High Fidelity in West Adams. —Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

The Voyager 1 team ultimately located the probe’s response later on October 18 by sifting through signals the Deep Space Network was receiving. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024

Today a herpetologist can identify each frog, toad and salamander in a creek by sifting through snippets of DNA in the merest vial of water. —Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

After sifting through the details, my impression was that only two interventions had the potential to really move the needle: supershoes and drafting. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English siftan; akin to Old English sife sieve

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

sift

verb

ˈsift 

1

a

: to put through a sieve

sift flour

b

: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve

2

: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable

sift evidence

sift through a pile of papers

sifter noun