sift
verb
ˈsift 
sifted; sifting; sifts
transitive verb
1
a
: to put through a sieve
sift flour
b
: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve
2
: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable
sifted the evidence
—often used with through sift through a pile of old letters
3
: to scatter by or as if by sifting
sift sugar on a cake
intransitive verb
1
: to use a sieve
2
: to pass or fall as if through a sieve
sifter noun
Example Sentences
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Sift the lumps from the sugar. The police sifted the evidence in hopes of finding a clue. The police sifted for clues. The lawyer sifted through the hundreds of pages of testimony. Firefighters sifted through the debris. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Cohen meets regularly with the brothers to sift through new commission requests and manage the account. 
Sydney Page, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Using the latest software innovations, scientists are finally able to not only harvest colossal amounts of data, but also sift and sort through it in significantly less time. Hannah Fish, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2022 For optimal investment decisions, technology should be used to sift through opportunities and select a few optimal ones, after which an investor still needs to do some of their own investigation and analysis. Peter Abualzolof, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Programs called applicant tracking systems can sift through online applications and score them based on how well a candidate appears to match the open role. Arielle Pardes, Wired, 16 Feb. 2022 Washington — The Justice Department filed a 36-page response late Tuesday night to former President Donald Trump's request for a federal judge to appoint a third party to sift through the records seized at his Florida residence. Robert Legare, CBS News, 31 Aug. 2022 Just days after fire sparked in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest in late July, search and rescue workers arrived to sift through piles of ash where homes once stood. Grant Stringer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Aug. 2022 Ultimately, Billboard charts are just tools to help fans and industry stakeholders sift through data, and by no means are meant to confine the infinite creativity that the artists on all these charts share. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2022 The not-so-good news is there's a lot of product to sift through. John Thompson, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2022 See More
Sydney Page, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Using the latest software innovations, scientists are finally able to not only harvest colossal amounts of data, but also sift and sort through it in significantly less time. Hannah Fish, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2022 For optimal investment decisions, technology should be used to sift through opportunities and select a few optimal ones, after which an investor still needs to do some of their own investigation and analysis. Peter Abualzolof, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Programs called applicant tracking systems can sift through online applications and score them based on how well a candidate appears to match the open role. Arielle Pardes, Wired, 16 Feb. 2022 Washington — The Justice Department filed a 36-page response late Tuesday night to former President Donald Trump's request for a federal judge to appoint a third party to sift through the records seized at his Florida residence. Robert Legare, CBS News, 31 Aug. 2022 Just days after fire sparked in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest in late July, search and rescue workers arrived to sift through piles of ash where homes once stood. Grant Stringer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Aug. 2022 Ultimately, Billboard charts are just tools to help fans and industry stakeholders sift through data, and by no means are meant to confine the infinite creativity that the artists on all these charts share. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2022 The not-so-good news is there's a lot of product to sift through. John Thompson, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English siftan; akin to Old English sife sieve
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Kids Definition
sift
verb
ˈsift
sifted; sifting
1
: to pass or cause to pass through a sieve
sift flour
2
: to separate or separate out by or as if by passing through a sieve
I sifted the lumps.
3
: to test or examine carefully
Police will sift through the evidence.
sifts
verb
1
as in filters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- filters
- sieves
- lays
- screens
- sediments
- settles
- strains
- clarifies
- clears
- resettles
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- raises
- stirs
- mixes
- disturbs
- agitates
2
as in inspects
Synonyms & Similar Words
- inspects
- investigates
- peruses
- researches
- explores
- scans
- surfs
- examines
- probes
- browses
- studies
- views
- looks (into)
- delves (into)
- digs (into)
- inquires (into)
- skims (through)
- reinvestigates
- thumbs (through)
- cruises