sift
Americanverb (used with object)
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to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
-
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
-
to question closely.
verb (used without object)
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to sift something.
-
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
-
(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.
In deciding the case, involving Texas’ election law, he and his law clerks had sifted through hundreds of thousands of exhibits, reviewed testimony from more than 70 witnesses and researched relevant case law.
The competitive pastime has spawned a whole industry of content creators offering weekly tips for anyone looking to gain an edge as they sift through stats and manage transfers.
From BBC
An artificial intelligence system donated by Microsoft then sifts through the millions of records to pull up relevant documents at 21 different stations throughout the exhibit.
Canadian professor Newman uses archaeological terms for the process: surveying, gridding, digging and sifting.
From Los Angeles Times
These tools sifted through data on elemental properties to uncover patterns and relationships that traditional simulations often miss.
From Science Daily
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.
