sift
Americanverb (used with object)
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to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
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to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve.
to sift sugar onto cake.
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to separate by or as if by a sieve.
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to examine closely.
The detectives are still sifting the evidence.
- Synonyms:
- probe, search, inspect, scrutinize, sort
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to question closely.
verb (used without object)
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to sift something.
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to pass or fall through or as if through a sieve.
verb
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(tr) to sieve (sand, flour, etc) in order to remove the coarser particles
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to scatter (something) over a surface through a sieve
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(tr) to separate with or as if with a sieve; distinguish between
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(tr) to examine minutely
to sift evidence
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(intr) to move as if through a sieve
Other Word Forms
- outsift verb (used with object)
- presift verb (used with object)
- resift verb (used with object)
- sifter noun
- unsifted adjective
Etymology
Origin of sift
before 900; Middle English siften, Old English siftan; cognate with Dutch, Middle Low German siften; akin to sieve
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.
The technology can sift through vast quantities of data, including "satellite images, radar, electromagnetic waves, sound, drone images and sometimes real-time video," he added.
From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026
Analysts monitored senior officials’ communications, increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to sift through a massive volume of intercepted calls.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
To help you sift through the noise, we’re launching a new newsletter: Executive Dysfunction.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
During a hearing in London, his barrister Jesse Nicolls said government security officers had conducted an "unlawful entry, search, sift and seizure" of documents.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
How am I supposed to sift through all of this?
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
