Definition of "sift" [sift]

To put (flour, for example) through a sieve or other straining device in order to separate the fine from the coarse particles. (verb-transitive)
To distinguish as if separating with a sieve: sifted the candidates for the job. (verb-transitive)
To apply by scattering with or as if with a sieve: sift sugar on a dessert. (verb-transitive)
To examine and sort carefully: sift the evidence. (verb-transitive)
To make use of a sieve. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "sift" in a sentence

"As the syllables of Apatow's name sift through her mellifluous vocal chords, my pinball brain starts to tilt: You, Catherine Deneuve, are a Judd Apatow fan?"
"On Monday, as you no doubt already know, Tina Brown and Barry Diller launched The Daily Beast, a Web site that promises to "sift" and "curate" the unruly Internet."
"The Maidstone 'sift' hasn't actually taken place yet."

Words like "sift"

analyze canvas canvass choose

examine go locomote move

pick out select sifted sifting

sifts study take travel