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
An investigation by Norwegian National Broadcasting (NRK), which sifted through significant records on Magic Cat acquired by cybersecurity researchers, found that there were more than 600 scam operators behind the messages.
—
Kevin Collier, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
Joseph sifted through Secrest’s papers, at Yale, and found the moment that Sondheim had this revelation in their interviews.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
While governments and corporations are willing to pay for companies to sift out the really damaging stuff, there’s not the same incentive to police whimsical videos of bears and raccoons and squirrels.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
The story serves as a microcosm for a nation that lost its collective mind while sifting reality through social media.
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
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Kevin Collier, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
Joseph sifted through Secrest’s papers, at Yale, and found the moment that Sondheim had this revelation in their interviews.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
While governments and corporations are willing to pay for companies to sift out the really damaging stuff, there’s not the same incentive to police whimsical videos of bears and raccoons and squirrels.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
The story serves as a microcosm for a nation that lost its collective mind while sifting reality through social media.
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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
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