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
sift·er
-tə(r)
plural -s
: one that sifts: such as
b
: shaker
also
: the perforated top of a shaker
c
: a machine used in flour milling to separate particles of ground grain according to size by running them through sieves of increasing degrees of fineness arranged one above the other so that the coarsest is on top
d
: a worker who sifts cut tobacco on a riddle
Examples of sift in a Sentence
Verb
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
Gleb Garanich,
USA Today,
2 July 2026
For Warsh, all of these data points, plus others from various agencies, present a complicated mosaic that his task forces will have to sift through.
—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
Then, aided by technology and evolving search parameters, police sift through for potential suspects.
—
Anne Toomey McKenna,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Trejo sifted through debris and looked for clues in the area, appealing for help that required heavy machinery, according to CNN Español.
—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
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.
Verb
Emergency services were sifting through the rubble of what used to be a nine-story building on the left bank of the Dnipro River that bisects the city as the sun rose and fires flared up around it.
—
Gleb Garanich,
USA Today,
2 July 2026
For Warsh, all of these data points, plus others from various agencies, present a complicated mosaic that his task forces will have to sift through.
—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
Then, aided by technology and evolving search parameters, police sift through for potential suspects.
—
Anne Toomey McKenna,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Trejo sifted through debris and looked for clues in the area, appealing for help that required heavy machinery, according to CNN Español.
—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sift
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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
