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Synonyms
sift (sĭft)

[Middle English siften, from Old English siftan.]

verb: sift·ed, sift·ing, sifts. 

transitive verb 

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

intransitive verb 

  1. To make use of a sieve.
  2. To pass through or as if through a sieve: a meal that sifts easily.
  3. To make a careful examination: sifted through back issues of the magazine.

derivatives

sift́er
noun