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 winners will be those who can efficiently sift through vast amounts of data to create meaning–finding patterns, synthesizing, and connecting dots.
—
Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
After recording tens of thousands of hours of sound, scientists used A.I. to sift through all the noise—and identify the distinctive call of the plains-wanderer.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2025
Visiting your library in-person also grants you access to librarians, who are basically book wizards trained to sift through the overwhelming number of options and match you with the perfect read.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 21 Feb. 2025
The researchers reached their conclusion as part of the BMJ's Rapid Recommendations program, an initiative to sift through studies to make informed recommendations for patient care.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sift
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Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
After recording tens of thousands of hours of sound, scientists used A.I. to sift through all the noise—and identify the distinctive call of the plains-wanderer.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2025
Visiting your library in-person also grants you access to librarians, who are basically book wizards trained to sift through the overwhelming number of options and match you with the perfect read.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 21 Feb. 2025
The researchers reached their conclusion as part of the BMJ's Rapid Recommendations program, an initiative to sift through studies to make informed recommendations for patient care.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 20 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 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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