sift

sift — verb

1. To make a dry powder ingredient such as flour, sugar, or cocoa finer by passing

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

To make a dry powder ingredient such as flour, sugar, or cocoa finer by passing it across a sieve or mesh, breaking up any lumps and removing larger bits.

Example

Ari sifted the flour into a large mixing bowl before adding the eggs.

sift + noun + into + noun — common cooking pattern

The baker carefully sifted the sugar onto the cake for a smooth finish.

Common collocations
  • sift flour
  • sift sugar
  • sift cocoa powder
  • sift into a bowl
  • sift over the cake
Synonyms
  • strain

    Used for liquids or solids suspended in liquid; not interchangeable for dry powders

  • filter

    Implies passing through a paper or cloth medium, usually for liquids

Antonyms
  • clump

    To form lumps, the opposite result of sifting

Grammar Patterns

sift + noun (ingredient)

sift + noun + into/onto + noun

sift + noun + over + noun

Usage Note

Common in recipe instructions in the imperative form. The object is almost always a dry powder: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, or icing sugar.

Common Mistakes

She sifted the milk into the bowl.
She sifted the flour into the bowl.
Only dry powders are sifted; liquids are strained or poured.

2. To go through a large amount of material or information item by item, with the a

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To go through a large amount of material or information item by item, with the aim of discovering a particular thing or keeping the valuable parts while setting the rest aside.

Example

Detectives sifted through hundreds of phone records looking for any unusual calls.

sift through + noun — examine a collection thoroughly

Tariq sifted through all the job applications before inviting anyone for an interview.

Common collocations
  • sift through evidence
  • sift through data
  • sift through applications
  • sift out errors
  • sift out irrelevant details
  • sift fact from fiction
Synonyms
  • examine

    More general; does not imply going through a large collection or separating useful from useless

  • scrutinize

    Suggests very close, critical attention but not the act of sorting through a large set

  • filter

    Closer to 'sift out'; implies removing unwanted elements from a flow

  • sort through

    Very similar but slightly less methodical; can be used interchangeably in many contexts

Antonyms
  • overlook

    To fail to notice, the opposite of careful examination

Grammar Patterns

sift through + noun (collection)

sift + noun + out

sift + noun + from + noun

Usage Note

Often used with 'through' when the focus is on the act of examining (sift through documents). Use 'out' when the focus is on removing or extracting (sift out the errors). The object is usually a large, messy collection — documents, data, evidence, applications.

Common Mistakes

I need to sift through my question.
I need to sift through my questions.
The object should typically be a plural or uncountable collection, not a single item.
Phrasal verbs

sift through

phrasal verb

To examine a set of things one by one in a careful and thorough way, especially when there is a large amount to look at.

The journalist sifted through dozens of old newspaper articles to find the original report.

Élise sifted through her grandmother's photo albums looking for pictures from the 1960s.

sift out

phrasal verb

To remove unwanted or less useful things from a group by examining them carefully, so that only the best or most relevant remain.

The hiring team sifted out the weakest applications before the first round of interviews.

It took Joon weeks to sift out all the incorrect entries from the database.

Word family

  • sifter
    nounB2
  • sifting
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

Among these, 'sift' and 'sort through' are the closest — both imply working through a large collection methodically. The key difference is that 'sift' carries a stronger sense of separating the valuable from the worthless (like the original sieve image), while 'sort through' is more neutral. 'Examine' is broader and does not suggest a large quantity. 'Scrutinize' adds a layer of intense critical attention, often with suspicion. 'Filter' focuses on removing unwanted elements from a stream or flow. In practice: a detective sifts through evidence to find the crucial clue, but scrutinizes a suspect's alibi for inconsistencies. An editor filters out errors but sifts through the manuscript to decide what to keep.

examine ↗scrutinizesort through ↗filter ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sift through the evidence
  • sift out the errors
  • sift fact from fiction

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Sift comes from the Old English word 'siftan', which shares its root with 'sieve'. Both go back to a Proto-Germanic base *sift- meaning 'to strain or separate'. The original physical meaning — passing dry ingredients through a mesh — appeared first in Old English texts. By the 1500s, the word had gained its figurative sense of carefully examining or sorting through information, drawing on the image of separating fine particles from coarse ones.