sift

[sift]

verb (used with object)

1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.

2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve.

   to sift sugar onto cake.

3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.

4. to examine closely.

   The detectives are still sifting the evidence.

   Synonyms: probe, search, inspect, scrutinize, sort

5. to question closely.

verb (used without object)

1. to sift something.

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

sift

/ sɪft /

verb

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

2. to scatter (something) over a surface through a sieve

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

4. (tr) to examine minutely

   to sift evidence

5. (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)
• unsifted adjective
• sifter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sift¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sift¹

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

Example Sentences

Their reconciliation came just as Stiller was beginning to sift through decades of nostalgia, dredging up memories about how he felt when his parents weren’t present for parts of his childhood.

Read more on Salon

We compiled cases by sifting through both English- and Spanish-language social media, lawsuits, court records and local media reports.

Read more on Salon

Efficient drone detection relies on sifting through vast amounts of information from air and ship traffic, and responding to a drone threat within seconds rather than hours.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As they sift through the records, the directors have informed lenders that they have so far found around $2 billion more in borrowings than the underlying accounts receivables.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He loves sifting through corporate balance sheets and watching the research into a particular company pay off, he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• analyze 
• comb 
• delve into www.thesaurus.com
• drain 
• evaluate 
• examine 
• explore 
• filter 
• go through 
• investigate 
• pore over www.thesaurus.com
• scrutinize 
• winnow