sieve

1 of 2

noun

ˈsiv 

: a device with meshes or perforations through which finer particles of a mixture (as of ashes, flour, or sand) of various sizes may be passed to separate them from coarser ones, through which the liquid may be drained from liquid-containing material, or through which soft materials may be forced for reduction to fine particles

sieve

2 of 2

verb

sieved; sieving

: sift

Examples of sieve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This reliance on filtering concepts through the sieve of language can also result in a loss of information, just as digitizing a photograph inevitably means losing some of the definition in the original. —Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

Singapore’s single-family office count grew by 43% YoY, crossing 2,000—proof that regulation, if well-calibrated, acts more like a sieve than a wall. —Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025

Verb

Later, Meghan scrapes the honey off the hive frame, clearly in awe of the whole process, and sieves it to get rid of the honeycomb. —Issy Ronald, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025

No other team, however, can match the numbers of a Burnley side that, lest it be forgotten, sieved 78 goals in 38 games while being relegated from the Premier League under Vincent Kompany’s management last season. —Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sive, from Old English sife; akin to Old High German sib sieve

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sieve

• have a memory/mind like a sieve
• molecular sieve
• sieve of Eratosthenes
• sieve plate
• sieve tube

Rhymes for sieve

• give
• corroborative
• determinative
• forgive
• ogive
• outlive
• relive
• germinative
• transformative
• resistive

Kids Definition

sieve

1 of 2 noun

ˈsiv 

: a device with meshes or holes to separate finer particles from coarser ones or solids from liquids

sieve

2 of 2 verb

sieved; sieving

: to put through a sieve : sift

sieve the tomatoes to remove the seeds