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
It can be used to make product recommendations, sift through product reviews, solve customer service inquiries and track and find lower prices.
—
Rytis Lauris, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The project began in the summer of 2024, when Shooter Jennings was sifting through numerous high-resolution multi-track transfers in his dad’s studio recordings.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 16 June 2025
Picture yourself sifting through hundreds of resumes and still feeling as if the process is missing something.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Our gear team sifted through mountains of bargains to hand-pick 12 deals worth jumping on right now.
—Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
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Rytis Lauris, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The project began in the summer of 2024, when Shooter Jennings was sifting through numerous high-resolution multi-track transfers in his dad’s studio recordings.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 16 June 2025
Picture yourself sifting through hundreds of resumes and still feeling as if the process is missing something.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Our gear team sifted through mountains of bargains to hand-pick 12 deals worth jumping on right now.
—Drew Zieff, Outside Online, 11 June 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 8 Jul. 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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