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
Her guide includes a soothing sound bath at Calming Spot in Santa Monica or sifting through records at High Fidelity in West Adams.
—
Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The Voyager 1 team ultimately located the probe’s response later on October 18 by sifting through signals the Deep Space Network was receiving.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
Today a herpetologist can identify each frog, toad and salamander in a creek by sifting through snippets of DNA in the merest vial of water.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
After sifting through the details, my impression was that only two interventions had the potential to really move the needle: supershoes and drafting.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024
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.
Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The Voyager 1 team ultimately located the probe’s response later on October 18 by sifting through signals the Deep Space Network was receiving.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024
Today a herpetologist can identify each frog, toad and salamander in a creek by sifting through snippets of DNA in the merest vial of water.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
After sifting through the details, my impression was that only two interventions had the potential to really move the needle: supershoes and drafting.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024
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 22 Nov. 2024.
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