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
Use a sieve to sift out any large chunks, and continue to grind until fine.
—
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
The Pentagon is sifting through service members’ social media posts, and several military members have been temporarily suspended.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Ahead, sift through the 10 best deals from Nordstrom’s beauty sale, according to StyleCaster‘s editors.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 17 Sep. 2025
The lab sifted through publicly available data and commercially available satellite images to track the facilities.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
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Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025
The Pentagon is sifting through service members’ social media posts, and several military members have been temporarily suspended.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Ahead, sift through the 10 best deals from Nordstrom’s beauty sale, according to StyleCaster‘s editors.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 17 Sep. 2025
The lab sifted through publicly available data and commercially available satellite images to track the facilities.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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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