sifted; sifting; sifts
1
a
: to put through a sieve
sift flour
b
: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve
2
: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable
sifted the evidence
—often used with throughsift through a pile of old letters
3
: to scatter by or as if by sifting
sift sugar on a cake
sifter
noun
sift·er
-tə(r)
plural -s
: one that sifts: such as
b
: shaker
also
: the perforated top of a shaker
c
: a machine used in flour milling to separate particles of ground grain according to size by running them through sieves of increasing degrees of fineness arranged one above the other so that the coarsest is on top
d
: a worker who sifts cut tobacco on a riddle
Cite this Entry
“Sift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sift. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.
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