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
Historians sifted through the belt buckles, pocket watches, small sabers and sheaths, and remains of a Soviet-era plane that had crashed in Poland in the 1970s, according to the post.
—
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
This unavoidable task eats into a company’s capacity to scale, with the potential for delays caused by everything from document access to sifting through entire knowledge bases to pinpoint the correct document.
—Ravikiran Dharmavaram, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
As wildfires continue to scorch homes across Los Angeles County, thousands of residents are left to sift through the remains and answer a key question: what now?
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Then the dry ingredients are sifted and combined with the egg-chocolate mixture, and some extra chocolate chips.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sift 
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Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
This unavoidable task eats into a company’s capacity to scale, with the potential for delays caused by everything from document access to sifting through entire knowledge bases to pinpoint the correct document.
—Ravikiran Dharmavaram, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
As wildfires continue to scorch homes across Los Angeles County, thousands of residents are left to sift through the remains and answer a key question: what now?
—Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Then the dry ingredients are sifted and combined with the egg-chocolate mixture, and some extra chocolate chips.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sift
Dictionary Entries Near sift
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 24 Jan. 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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