sift

[sift]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sift ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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.

to separate by or as if by a sieve.

to examine closely: The detectives are still sifting the evidence.

to question closely.

verb (used without object)

to sift something.

to pass or fall through or as if through a sieve.

Origin of sift

before 900; Middle English siften, Old English siftan; cognate with Dutch, Middle Low German siften; akin to sieve

Related formsout·sift, verb (used with object)pre·sift, verb (used with object)re·sift, verb (used with object)un·sift·ed, adjective

Synonyms for sift

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sift ON THESAURUS.COM

4. sort, scrutinize, inspect, search, probe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sift

comb, investigate, explore, evaluate, winnow, scrutinize, filter, examine, drain, analyze, riddle, sort, search, purify, separate, inquire, screen, probe, prospect, grade

Examples from the Web for sift

Contemporary Examples of sift

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ina Garten
November 28, 2014
But should you lack the energy to sift through the glut of options yourself, we can at least helpfully endorse this one.
WGN’s ‘Manhattan’ Is Summer’s Best New Show. But Will Anyone Watch?
Kevin Fallon
July 27, 2014
But if you can sift through all of the legal posturing, a fairly accurate portrait of Sterling himself does begin to emerge.
Donald Sterling’s New Defense: Look at All the Blacks I’ve Hired
Robert Silverman
May 28, 2014
Sift the dry ingredients over a piece of parchment paper and then pour into a medium bowl.
Cat Cora’s Valentine’s Day Menu for Single People
Cat Cora
February 13, 2014
It is advice to sift, pore over, and weigh up, with a view to us deciding for ourselves.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature
Malcolm Forbes
November 29, 2013

Historical Examples of sift

Sift the baking powder and spices with the flour and add these.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Pour in the milk and sift the dry ingredients into this mixture.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Mix and sift the dry ingredients and stir these into the mixture.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Having resolved to sift and examine the entire heap, I at once set about my task.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
Sift two pounds of flour into a pan, and add a salt-spoon of salt.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for sift

sift

verb

(tr) to sieve (sand, flour, etc) in order to remove the coarser particles

to scatter (something) over a surface through a sieve

(tr) to separate with or as if with a sieve; distinguish between

(tr) to examine minutelyto sift evidence

(intr) to move as if through a sieve

Derived Formssifter, noun

Word Origin for sift

Old English siftan; related to Middle Low German siften to sift, Dutch ziften; see sieve

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

Word Origin and History for sift

Old English siftan "pass (something) through a sieve," from Proto-Germanic *sib- (cf. Dutch ziften, Middle Low German sichten, German sichten "to sift;" see sieve (n.)). Intransitive sense "to pass loosely or fall scatteredly" is from 1590s. Metaphoric sense of "look carefully through" first recorded 1530s. Related: Sifted; sifting.