sift /sɪft/verb 6noun 1forms 4phrases 2 verb6 •To sieve or strain (something). •To examine (something) carefully. •[with through] To carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something.Sifting through the work of great orators like Philostratus and Quintilian they identify numerous examples of classical irony, metaphor, comparison, etc. which are missing in Paul. — 1996 •To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving. •(old-fashioned) To move data records up in memory to make space to insert further records. •(no longer used, old-fashioned) To scrutinize (someone or something) carefully so as to find the truth.As neere as I could sift him on that argument, On some apparant danger seene in him, Aym‘d at your Highnesse, no inueterate malice. — 1595 noun1 •An act of sifting. formssifted · sifting · sifteth · sifts Phrases with sift sift outTo isolate or identify one particular thing from a collection that includes less relevant things. sift throughTo carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something.
