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View synonyms for

sift

[ sift ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
  2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve:

    to sift sugar onto cake.

  3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.
  4. to examine closely:

    The detectives are still sifting the evidence.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  5. to question closely.


verb (used without object)

  1. to sift something.
  2. to pass or fall through or as if through a sieve.

sift

/ ɪڳ /

verb

  1. tr to sieve (sand, flour, etc) in order to remove the coarser particles
  2. to scatter (something) over a surface through a sieve
  3. tr to separate with or as if with a sieve; distinguish between
  4. tr to examine minutely

    to sift evidence

  5. intr to move as if through a sieve
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈڳٱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • dzܳȴڳ verb (used with object)
  • ·ڳ verb (used with object)
  • ·ڳ verb (used with object)
  • ܲ·ڳĻ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sift1

before 900; Middle English siften, Old English siftan; cognate with Dutch, Middle Low German siften; akin to sieve
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sift1

Old English siftan; related to Middle Low German siften to sift, Dutch ziften; see sieve
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The paint was made of ash and charcoal ground, “sifted and mixed” from the Altadena and Palisades fires by arts organizer David Solnit and volunteers.

From

I have stood in the ashes of that home, watching my wife, Carly, sifting through the fragments to see what survived a fire so hot it melted wrought iron and thick antique glass.

From

Then, hundreds of environmental workers went to the burn zones to sift through the wreckage, house by house, block by block.

From

The site processes waste water, sifting out solids, and produces biogas and a form of fertiliser.

From

Her daughter, Michelle, has been sifting through the rubble and said the search and rescue mission might still turn up more survivors.

From

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Sifrei Torahsifter