sift

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English syften, from Old English siftan, from Proto-West Germanic *siftijan. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /sɪft/ Rhymes: -ɪft === Verb === sift (third-person singular simple present sifts, present participle sifting, simple past and past participle sifted) (transitive) To sieve or strain (something). (transitive) To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving. (transitive) To examine (something) carefully. (archaic or dated, transitive) To scrutinize (someone or something) carefully so as to find the truth. (transitive) [with through] To carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something. (computing, dated, transitive) To move data records up in memory to make space to insert further records. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === sift (plural sifts) An act of sifting. ==== Usage notes ==== The utensil used for sifting is a sieve, and not a sift. === Anagrams === FIST, FITs, FiTs, ITFs, TIFs, fist, fits == Old English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /sift/ === Verb === sift inflection of siftan: third-person singular present indicative singular imperative