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
Residents sift through wreckage Some neighborhoods in London, the Laurel County seat, saw total devastation -- homes blown away in the middle of the night, with residents huddling in hallways and basements.
—
Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 17 May 2025
Nearly 1,950 years later, archaeologists are still sifting through the layers of debris and making remarkable discoveries about life—and death—in the ancient city.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025
Maybe that's summarizing risk in a vendor questionnaire, helping a SOC analyst understand a behavioral anomaly without sifting through dozens of logs or just writing clearer access review summaries.
—Varsha Agarwal, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Jurors previously heard from the leader of the search team that sifted through the snow using rakes and brooms to find the evidence.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
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Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 17 May 2025
Nearly 1,950 years later, archaeologists are still sifting through the layers of debris and making remarkable discoveries about life—and death—in the ancient city.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025
Maybe that's summarizing risk in a vendor questionnaire, helping a SOC analyst understand a behavioral anomaly without sifting through dozens of logs or just writing clearer access review summaries.
—Varsha Agarwal, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Jurors previously heard from the leader of the search team that sifted through the snow using rakes and brooms to find the evidence.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 May 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 28 May. 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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