sift out
phrasal verbsift something out
- to remove something that you do not want from a substance by putting it through a sieve
- Put the flour through a sieve to sift out the lumps.
- to separate something, usually something you do not want, from a group of things
- We need to sift out the applications that have no chance of succeeding.
- They will try to sift out the winners and the losers.