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.

The scene had been cordoned off by security forces, and investigators were sifting through the debris.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

The firetruck pulled up to a checkpoint Saturday morning near where emergency workers were sifting through the wreckage caused by the Palisades fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2025

While they were sifting through the samples under the microscope, they noticed that “we would see things that kind of wiggled differently,” Christ said.

From Scientific American • Dec. 20, 2022

On a recent morning, miners were sifting chunks of rock searching for golden threads.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2019

Fine blurs of mist were sifting gently across the still, lavender surface.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols