sift

sɪft

Definition

Conjugation

Definition of sift - Reverso English Dictionary

Verb

cooking

tr.

put through a sieve to reduce to finer particles

tr.

She sifted the flour before mixing it into the batter..

sieve

strain

investigation

tr.

examine carefully to find something

tr.

He sifted through the documents for evidence.

examine

inspect

gardening

tr.

scatter over a surface through a sieve

tr.

They sifted compost over the garden.

dust

scatter

sprinkle

sorting

tr./intr.

separate or distinguish between elements

tr./intr.

The machine sifts the good seeds from the bad.

filter

screen

sieve

Add a suggestion |

Feedback:

Expressions with sift

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

sift out

remove unwanted or select important items from a group

They sift out the best candidates from the list.

sift through

carefully look through things or information to find something important

She sifted through the files for the missing report.

sift through the wreckage

examine debris to find something useful

They sift through the wreckage to find any salvageable items.

sift through the debris

examine remnants to find something useful

Volunteers sift through the debris to salvage belongings.

sift through the ashes

search carefully through remains

After the fire, they had to sift through the ashes for any valuables.

Origin of sift

Old English, siftan (to sift)

Terms with sift included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

riddle

sieving

sift or separate using a sieve

resift

repeat sifting

sift something again for a specific purpose

Examples of sift in a sentence

They sifted the cocoa powder to remove lumps.
Detectives sifted the data for clues.
She sifted through the emails for the contract.
Farmers sift seeds evenly across the field.
She sifted flour onto the dough for baking.
She sifted through the documents to find the contract.

The detective sifted the evidence to solve the mystery.

View all translations of sift

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:cribler, examiner, ...
German:sieben, durchsuchen, ...
Italian:setacciare, esaminare, ...
Spanish:tamizar, examinar, ...
Portuguese:peneirar, examinar, ...
Chinese:筛, 筛查, ...
Japanese:ふるいにかける, 精査する, ...
Arabic:نَخَلَ, فَتَّشَ, ...
Hebrew:לְנַפּוֹת, לְמַיֵּן בִּקְפִדָּנוּת, ...
Russian:просеивать, перебирать, ...
Ukrainian:просіювати, переглядати, ...
Hindi:छानना, जांचना, ...
Bengali:চালুনি দিয়ে ছাঁকা, সিফট করা, ...
Catalan:tamisar, examinar, ...
Czech:prosít, prohledávat, ...
Danish:sigte, gennemsøge, ...
Dutch:zeven, zoeken, ...
Greek:κοσκινίζω, εξετάζω προσεκτικά, ...
Hungarian:átszitálni, átvizsgálni, ...
Khmer:រែង, ពិនិត្យសម្រិតសម្រាំង, ...
Korean:체로 치다, 면밀히 조사하다, ...
Persian:الک کردن, بررسی کرد, ...
Polish:przesiewać, przeszukiwać, ...
Portuguese (BR):peneirar, examinar, ...
Romanian:a cernut, a cerceta, ...
Swedish:sila, söka igenom, ...
Thai:ร่อน, ตรวจสอบ, ...
Turkish:elemek, elekten geçirmek, ...
Vietnamese:rây, xem xét kỹ lưỡng, ...

Browse the dictionary entries starting with “s”:

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

100,000 expressions & idioms Understand any expression you come across: from corporate jargon like 💬 touch base or ↩️ circle back to everyday expressions such as 🌊 out of the blue or 🦆 lame duck, as well as idioms like 🍲 spill the beans and 🐎 hold your horses.

40,000 images When you search for a concrete noun or object, images help you grasp the meaning at a glance. Try searching for 🧵 puppytooth, 🎠 merry-go-round, ⚜️ fleur-de-lys, or 💤 bunk bed.

Informal language & slang Everyday conversations are packed with informal expressions and slang. Meanings are clearly tagged, so you'll always know when a word is casual. Look up hangry (😋 hungry + 😡 angry), 😎 rizz, 🕹️ noob, or 🔑 low-key.

Abbreviations & acronyms Quickly decode modern abbreviations and acronyms. Go from IDK to OMG in seconds and stay up to date with popular abbreviations such as 🐐 GOAT, 📜 tl;dr, 👀 POV, or 🖥️ AFK.

Regional usage (US / UK) Reverso highlights regional differences between American and British English. You’ll never have to wonder where a word is commonly used: try lift vs. elevator, courgette vs. zucchini, or popular British slang like dodgy or banter. What’s more, when you search for 'color', you’ll immediately see its British counterpart, 'colour'.

Get more than a simple definition

Translations for each meaning View translations alongside each meaning to see how a word is translated in each context. Simply toggle translations ON and choose among 25+ languages. You can also display the translation of definitions or examples into your native language to deepen your understanding.

Synonyms & related words by meaning View synonyms and related words for each meaning, not just for the word as a whole. This helps you choose the most accurate word for your context. Click the

icon to discover related terms: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, umbrella terms… Try with happening or hunch.

Multiple examples for every meaning Each meaning comes with three real-life examples to show you how the word is used in different contexts. Click the

icon next to the first example to see two additional options and learn to use new vocabulary naturally.

Go from understanding to mastery

Save words for later review Click the

icon to save words you want to revisit. You can also save a specific meaning by clicking on the

icon next to it. For example, you might want to save the word “table” as a verb, which means “to postpone”.

Practice with personalized flashcards Reverso automatically transforms your searches and saved words into personalized flashcards and quizzes, featuring high-quality audio and usage examples. This helps you transform terms you only recognize into words you actually use confidently.

Learn with Netflix, YouTube, and your favorite texts With Reverso Chrome extension, transform movies, TV shows, articles, or song lyrics into an interactive lesson. Look up words and expressions in one click on any website and learn with your favorite content.