sifted; sifting; sifts
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 throughsift through a pile of old letters
3
: to scatter by or as if by sifting
sift sugar on a cake
sifter
noun
Examples of sift in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
But Unikowsky maintains that to find a needle in the Google haystack, Google had to sift through hundreds of millions of accounts.
—
Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
At stake in the case is whether the government can sift through voluminous data that exposes a phone's location at a crime scene – without knowing who is holding it.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
Peru is holding a presidential runoff on June 7 even as votes are still being counted and officials are sifting through tally sheets arriving from remote areas and Peruvian consulates abroad following the first round on April 12.
—Franklin Briceño, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With 66 brands exhibiting at the world’s annual horological tradeshow in Geneva last week, there were a lot of novelties to sift through—and perhaps more covetable new references to try on, think about, and pick apart than ever before.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sift
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
At stake in the case is whether the government can sift through voluminous data that exposes a phone's location at a crime scene – without knowing who is holding it.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
Peru is holding a presidential runoff on June 7 even as votes are still being counted and officials are sifting through tally sheets arriving from remote areas and Peruvian consulates abroad following the first round on April 12.
—Franklin Briceño, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
With 66 brands exhibiting at the world’s annual horological tradeshow in Geneva last week, there were a lot of novelties to sift through—and perhaps more covetable new references to try on, think about, and pick apart than ever before.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sift
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sift
verb1
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
sift evidence
sift through a pile of papers
sifter
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
