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

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

In 1993, Green started compiling 500 years of English slang by sifting through mountains of primary sources. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Feb. 2026

Dana Bowling, who hosts the Daily Dose of Dana podcast, has discussed the Guthrie case on several episodes — sifting through public details from police and various news outlets and adding in context from past high-profile cases. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026

Investigators are sifting through more than 50,000 tips that have come in since Nancy went missing. —Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026

There’s no better way to tell the story of a community than sifting through archival records of your local newspaper. —Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for sift

• clift
• drift
• gift
• lift
• miffed
• rift
• shift
• shrift
• sniffed
• thrift
• tift
• adrift

Kids Definition

sift

verb

ˈsift 

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

sift evidence

sift through a pile of papers

sifter noun