sieve
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.
a person who cannot keep a secret.
Origin of sieve
1Other words from sieve
- sievelike, adjective
- un·sieved, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sieve in a sentence
Science of the past 400 years is a particularly efficient and demanding sieve for what works and what doesn’t.
Farther on I saw in a dry river bed a man sieving gravel in an ingenious way.
The Foundations of Japan | J.W. Robertson ScottThe trouble in sieving gravel is that if the sieve be filled to its capacity the shaking soon becomes tiring.
The Foundations of Japan | J.W. Robertson ScottMr. Stoke: When I did my fine sieving, I used a 4-inch screen.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationHis part is to attend the sacking of the three kinds of grain for ever sieving out.
The Complete Essays of John Galsworthy | John Galsworthy
Stiff gravelly clay will require finer sieving or repeated washing to rid it of some of the grit or sand.
Pottery, for Artists Craftsmen & Teachers | George J. Cox
British Dictionary definitions for sieve
/ (sɪv) /
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
rare a person who gossips and spreads secrets
memory like a sieve or head like a sieve a very poor memory
to pass or cause to pass through a sieve
(tr often foll by out) to separate or remove (lumps, materials, etc) by use of a sieve
Origin of sieve
1Derived forms of sieve
- sievelike, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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