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
The race director has to sift through all the information at their disposal to determine the safest option.
—
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Then use a sharp knife or shovel to cut into the turf on three sides of a one-square-foot area, rolling back the sod and sifting through the top few inches of soil.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
Off the coast of southern India, trawlers hauled in their nets and started sifting through the catch.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
The group took 1,339 micro-CT scans and sifted through 584 mentions in scientific studies.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Then use a sharp knife or shovel to cut into the turf on three sides of a one-square-foot area, rolling back the sod and sifting through the top few inches of soil.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 July 2025
Off the coast of southern India, trawlers hauled in their nets and started sifting through the catch.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 23 July 2025
The group took 1,339 micro-CT scans and sifted through 584 mentions in scientific studies.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 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 5 Aug. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share