Definition of: sift

(sift) v.t.
1. To pass through a sieve in order to separate the fine parts from the coarse.
2. To scatter by or as by a sieve.
3. To examine carefully.
4. To separate as if with a sieve; distinguish: to sift fact from fiction.
—v.i.
5. To use a sieve; sift something.
6. To fall or pass through or as through a sieve: The light sifts through the trees. [OE siftan sift]
—sift′er noun