1. Move as if through a sieve
   "The soldiers sifted through the woods" 
2. Separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
   "sift the flour"
   - sieve, strain 
3. Check and sort carefully
   "sift the information"
   - sieve 
4. Distinguish and separate out
   "sift through the job candidates"
   - sieve

Derived forms: sifts, sifting, sifted

See also: sieve, sifter, sifting

Type of: analyse [Brit, Cdn], analyze [N. Amer], canvas, canvass, choose, examine, go, locomote, move, pick out, select, separate, study, take, travel

Encyclopedia: Sift

• periodic movement
• periodic sentence
• periodic table
• periodical
• periodical cicada
• periodically
• periodicity
• periodontal
• periodontal disease
• periodontia
• periodontic
• periodontics
• periodontist
• periodontitis
• perioperative
• Periophthalmus
• periosteum
• peripatetic
• peripateticism
• Peripatidae
• Peripatopsidae
• Peripatopsis
• peripatus
• peripeteia
• peripetia