#1 sift v. move as if through a sieve; "The soldiers sifted through the woods". wn
#2 sift v. [sieve, strain] separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour". wn
#3 sift v. [sieve] check and sort carefully; "sift the information". wn
#4 sift v. [sieve] distinguish and separate out; "sift through the job candidates". wn
vizzz