sift

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To sieve or strain (something).
2. (transitive) To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving.
3. (archaic, dated, transitive) To examine (something) carefully.
4. (transitive) To examine (something) carefully.
5. (dated, transitive) To move data records up in memory to make space to insert further records.

Noun

An act of sifting.

Synonyms

sieve

strain

winnow

screen

filter

riddle

separate

shake

🫨

investigate

search

examine

percolate

cleanse

select

clear

probe

process

try

vet

canvass

look into

bolt

refine

examine closely

scrutinize

scan

inquire

distill

scrutinise

segregate

sieving

sort out

sound

🔉

strainer

study

survey

test

wash

🧽

pull tight

sieve out

siftage

research

screening

she’s sifting it

analyse

analyze

anatomize

canvas

case

check out

Translations

tamiser

sieben

7

setacciare

passer

ziften

zeven

7

cernir

colar

cribler

vagliare

discernir

peneirar

tamis

cribar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/sɪft/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: syften

Inherited from Old English: siftan

In summary

From Middle English syften, from Old English siftan, from Proto-West Germanic *siftijan.