sift through

sift through

1. Literally, to put some substance through a sieve or a similar tool in order to remove smaller particles or things. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "sift" and "through." Be sure to sift the sugar through a sieve to get rid of any lumps before adding it to the mixture.
2. To conduct a careful examination of some substance or group in order to isolate or remove something. We're spending the weekend sifting through all the applicants to determine a short list we can bring in for interviews. Our telephone operators have to sift through a huge volume of calls determining which are pranks and which are legitimate. He's sifting through the sand trying to find his lost ring.
See also: sift, through
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

sift something through something

to make something pass through something such as a sieve. she sifted the powdered sugar through a strainer. Please sift the soil through this screen and watch for bits of pottery.
See also: sift, through

sift through something

to examine all parts of something. The fire inspector sifted through the rubble, looking for clues to the start of the fire. We sifted through all the papers in the old trunk, but we did not find what we were looking for.
See also: sift, through
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

sift through

v.
To search through some container or collection: I sifted through the laundry pile to find a pair of socks.
See also: sift, through
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • angle
  • angling
  • piece out
  • orient
  • orient to
  • orient to (something)
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • fill in
  • fill out
  • spiffed up
References in periodicals archive
A further search method is that of "dry sifting," using a mesh screen to sift through dry soil.
Looking for sparkles in Arkansas' public diamond mine
Clients look to agencies to help sift through and prioritize data that can be translated into meaningful, leveragable insights and inform communications strategies.
Major trends
speed of SIFT through make parallel operation, including using parallel computer with some software and utilizing special hardware such as GPU etc.
Research on the application of SIFT algorithm in UAV remote sensing image feature extraction
Meanwhile, NYPD officers working along the conveyor belts kept telling me to slow the belts down so they could properly sift through the debris.
Move the job
The program will also create large databases that sift through the purchases, travel, immigration status, income, and other data of millions of Americans.
Data-mining initiatives. (Up front: news, trends & analysis)