SIFT

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sift mean? 

• SIFT (verb)
  The verb SIFT has 4 senses:

1. move as if through a sieve
2. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
3. check and sort carefully
4. distinguish and separate out

  Familiarity information: SIFT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SIFT (verb)

Meaning:

Move as if through a sieve

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The soldiers sifted through the woods

Hypernyms (to "sift" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Meaning:

Separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

sift; sieve; strain

Context example:

sift the flour

Hypernyms (to "sift" is one way to...):

separate (divide into components or constituents)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sift"):

rice (sieve so that it becomes the consistency of rice)

resift (sift anew)

riddle; screen (separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff)

fan; winnow (separate the chaff from by using air currents)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Check and sort carefully

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

sieve; sift

Context example:

sift the information

Hypernyms (to "sift" is one way to...):

analyse; analyze; canvas; canvass; examine; study (consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Meaning:

Distinguish and separate out

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

sieve; sift

Context example:

sift through the job candidates

Hypernyms (to "sift" is one way to...):

choose; pick out; select; take (pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody