sifting through

Meanings

1. 1verbphrasal verb

   examining a large amount of material carefully to find what is useful or important.

   Grammar: Takes an object after through: sifting through the records.

   Patterns

   • sifting through something
   • sifting through something for something

   Investigators are sifting through thousands of emails.

   I spent the evening sifting through old photographs.

   She was sifting through the applications for the best candidate.

2. 2verbphrasal verb

   passing loose material, such as soil or flour, through a mesh to separate fine parts from coarse ones.

   Grammar: A literal use, often with a tool: sifting through the soil.

   Patterns

   • sifting through something

   Archaeologists were sifting through the soil for tiny fragments.

   He is sifting through the sand with a screen.

   The baker was sifting through the flour to remove lumps.

Common combinations

sifting through evidence

The detective is sifting through evidence from the scene.

sifting through data

The team is sifting through data from the survey.

sifting through paperwork

He spent hours sifting through paperwork.

sifting through the rubble

Rescuers were sifting through the rubble.

sifting through applications

She is sifting through applications for the post.

Synonyms and how they differ

combing through

Combing through suggests a very thorough search, similar to sifting but more intense.

going through

Going through is the neutral phrase, with no sense of separating good from bad.

trawling through

Trawling through implies a long, wide search, often with a tired feeling.

examining

Examining is formal and focuses on close inspection rather than picking out useful items.

Opposites

Word family

sift verb

to pass through a sieve or examine carefully

sifter noun

a tool with fine mesh

sifted adjective

passed through a mesh

sieve noun

a mesh tool for separating

Commonly confused: sifting through or shifting?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sifting through”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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