sieve
Americannoun
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an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom, used for separating coarse from fine parts of loose matter, for straining liquids, etc., especially one with a circular frame and fine meshes or perforations.
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a person who cannot keep a secret.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a device for separating lumps from powdered material, straining liquids, grading particles, etc, consisting of a container with a mesh or perforated bottom through which the material is shaken or poured
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rare a person who gossips and spreads secrets
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a very poor memory
verb
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to pass or cause to pass through a sieve
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to separate or remove (lumps, materials, etc) by use of a sieve
Other Word Forms
- sievelike adjective
- unsieved adjective
Etymology
Origin of sieve
First recorded before 900; Middle English sive, Old English sife; cognate with Dutch zeef, German Sieb; sift
Compare meaning
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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 average American home is about as airtight and well-insulated as a metal sieve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Strain through a fine mesh sieve, let cool and use the syrup however you see fit.
From Salon • May 6, 2025
That could have maybe turned into something, but Chelsea wants the sieve, she wants to pour down the plug hole.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025
It’s a kind of medievalism, in other words, that seems to have passed through a sieve of Jane Austen or Emily Brontë; now you can see it in the works of medieval-themed romantasy novels.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
The slopes and low hills that fell gently toward the river only appeared welcoming; underneath vines, carpet grass, wild grape, hibiscus and wood sorrel, the ground was as porous as a sieve.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
