1 B1 neutral
To remove unwanted particles or material by passing through a sieve or sifter.
"Sift out the stones before planting the seeds in the soil."
separable
sift out
B2 neutral separable transitive
To separate or identify specific elements from a larger quantity through careful examination or filtering.
In plain English
To find and remove (or keep) the right things from a big messy pile by going through it carefully.
What does "sift out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To identify and extract specific information or items from a large quantity through careful examination.
"Investigators spent weeks sifting out the relevant emails from thousands of records."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To pass something through a sifter to remove coarser particles — as with sifting flour in baking.
Actually means
To find and remove (or keep) the right things from a big messy pile by going through it carefully.
Usage tip
Used both literally (cooking, geology) and figuratively (information, candidates, data). The figurative use is common in professional and journalistic contexts. Common in both British and American English.
Words that pair with "sift out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
information clues candidates facts errors lumps
How to conjugate "sift out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
sift out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sifts out
he/she/it
Past simple
sifted out
yesterday
Past participle
sifted out
have + pp
-ing form
sifting out
continuous
Hear "sift out" in the wild
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