sift

[ sift ]

verb (used with object)

1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve:

   to sift sugar onto cake.

3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.
4. to examine closely:

   The detectives are still sifting the evidence.

   Synonyms: probe, search, inspect, scrutinize, sort

5. to question closely.

verb (used without object)

1. to sift something.
2. to pass or fall through or as if through a sieve.

sift

/ sɪft /

verb

1. tr to sieve (sand, flour, etc) in order to remove the coarser particles
2. to scatter (something) over a surface through a sieve
3. tr to separate with or as if with a sieve; distinguish between
4. tr to examine minutely

   to sift evidence

5. intr to move as if through a sieve

Derived Forms

• ˈsifter, noun

Other Words From

• outsift verb (used with object)
• pre·sift verb (used with object)
• re·sift verb (used with object)
• un·sifted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sift¹

before 900; Middle English siften, Old English siftan; cognate with Dutch, Middle Low German siften; akin to sieve

Word History and Origins

Origin of sift¹

Old English siftan; related to Middle Low German siften to sift, Dutch ziften; see sieve

Example Sentences

As Jensen used a window screen to sift the safe’s ashen contents for diamonds and stones, his wife Dawn DaMart wandered the blackened foundation searching for tokens of the couple’s life before the Mountain fire.

From Los Angeles Times

“That’s where my shower used to be,” she told Phillip Federis, 36, her friend’s grandson who took the day off from work to sift through the ashes.

From Los Angeles Times

As the battle for the future of search heats up, the rise of AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT that can quickly summarize search results has the potential to reshape how people find and sift through information online.

From Los Angeles Times

They then wash, dry and sift through it looking for diamonds until sunset.

From BBC

It takes so much time to sift through all your messy, likely disorganized files, to pick and choose the most important ones, to hook up and sync the external drive, and to transfer everything to that black box, which you’ll likely protect with some login credentials and stow away in some drawer.

From Slate

Related Words

• analyze
• comb
• delve into
• drain
• evaluate
• examine
• explore
• filter
• go through
• investigate
• pore over
• scrutinize
• winnow