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
Expect to sift through all the offerings, and do expect that love-it-or-hate-it thrift store aroma.
—
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
Jason Kelce Says New Heights Cap Taylor Swift Wore to Coachella ‘Sold Out Real Quick’
Jason said the New Heights team attempted to sift through the chili once more to find Jason's ring the next day but had no luck.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The biggest bombshells emerged from the discovery process, in which Dominion’s lawyers got to sift through Fox employees’ emails, text messages and other records.
—David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
There are still 80 significant signal candidates that the team needs to sift through.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
By both sides agreeing to do this now, the Hornets can jumpstart the process of sifting through candidates and gathering any pertinent intel before other teams start doing the same.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
The Times visited the area where Mizuhara lived during his teenage years, spoke with childhood friends and acquaintances and sifted through dozens of pages of records.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
When a windrow is sufficiently broken down, it’s sifted for debris, including larger pieces of organic material and contaminants like plastic.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024
To piece together Pierson's crimes and capture, The Courier Journal sifted through court files and transcripts and traveled to Arkansas and Oklahoma to interview agents, prosecutors and the surprising tipster who exposed Pierson's scheme.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
Jason Kelce Says New Heights Cap Taylor Swift Wore to Coachella ‘Sold Out Real Quick’
Jason said the New Heights team attempted to sift through the chili once more to find Jason's ring the next day but had no luck.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The biggest bombshells emerged from the discovery process, in which Dominion’s lawyers got to sift through Fox employees’ emails, text messages and other records.
—David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
There are still 80 significant signal candidates that the team needs to sift through.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
By both sides agreeing to do this now, the Hornets can jumpstart the process of sifting through candidates and gathering any pertinent intel before other teams start doing the same.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
The Times visited the area where Mizuhara lived during his teenage years, spoke with childhood friends and acquaintances and sifted through dozens of pages of records.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
When a windrow is sufficiently broken down, it’s sifted for debris, including larger pieces of organic material and contaminants like plastic.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024
To piece together Pierson's crimes and capture, The Courier Journal sifted through court files and transcripts and traveled to Arkansas and Oklahoma to interview agents, prosecutors and the surprising tipster who exposed Pierson's scheme.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sift
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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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