sift
verb (used with object)
to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
was sifting
-
past progressiveof sift.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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 2021, Arjan Mann, a postdoctoral paleontologist at the museum and a former Peter Buck Fellow, was sifting through Hotton's trove of Texas fossils when one specimen labeled as an early amphibian caught his eye.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2024
Abdurrahman Kurdo, a business student and the manager of a hotel near the destroyed Antioch Greek Orthodox Church, was sifting through the rubble to salvage what he could of Antakya's culture.
From Reuters ● Mar. 7, 2023
The district attorney’s office said it was sifting through a trove of documents seized in its search of Konnech’s offices and Mr. Yu’s home last week.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
Michelle Farris never expected to become homeless, but here she was, sifting through garbage and towering piles of debris accumulated along a roadway on the outskirts of Northeast Portland.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2022
Her gaze fell to the ground, pupils darting back and forth, as though she was sifting through every event of the past two days.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
