sieve

verb

Definition of sievenext
as in to filter

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sieve After sufficient brewing time, pour the tea into the pitcher through a fine mesh filter or sieve to remove the loose leaves or take out and throw out the whole tea bags. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 19 June 2026 Creativity is not just some commodity, trapped in the imagination, that can be tapped and sieved by technology. — John Semley, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2026 The mixture is then sieved to produce a smooth, drinkable liquid. — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2026 The combine then automatically calibrates variables like rotor speed, fan speed and sieve clearances to produce those outcomes. — Michael L. Millenson, Forbes.com, 13 Jan. 2026 The light here is dazzling, even more so when sieved through lime and olive leaves and wooden canopies to dance on walls, terracotta tables, and guests’ faces. — Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026 Traitors is about the gullible and the skeptical working together to sieve the fraudulent from the truthful, an amalgamated nightmare of village idiots locking themselves in the stocks and pelting each other with rotten fruit. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026 These recordings function like a kind of filter or sieve, retaining one part of us while the rest is allowed to drain away. — Rachel Cusk, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025 Our students have spent hundreds of hours focusing on the fossils retrieved after sieving. — Kristi Curry Rogers, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sieve
  1. filter
  2. sift
  3. screen
  4. strain
Verb
  • Advanced algorithms dynamically adjust bids toward a target cost per action (CPA), automatically filtering out irrelevant traffic and ensuring a stable ROI without the need for constant fine-tuning.
    — Ivan Doruda, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Sunlight bent and filtered through Earth's atmosphere leaks into the shadow, carrying the red-orange glow of every sunrise and sunset around the world.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of filter
Verb
  • Some teams have tight ends (or even receivers) quickly sift from the outside of the formation into the middle gaps as the ball is snapped.
    — Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Including having Rolling Stone sift through her listening habits for another round of Rolling Stone’s Song Shuffle series.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of sift
Verb
  • Come in and get approved through a pre-screening to meet Elmer today!
    — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The organization has screened his films regularly for decades and Brooks has appeared at its theaters a dozen or so times to discuss his work and collaborators.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of screen
Verb
  • Unlike some intentional living arrangements, residents paid one fee that covered meals and household expenses, removing much of the financial stress that can strain communal living.
    — Windsor Johnston, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
  • When relationships within the family are already strained, those functions become even more significant.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of strain

Browse Nearby Words

siestas
sieve
sieved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sieve. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sieve

Nglish: Translation of sieve for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of expeditious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All