sieve

1 of 2

noun

: a device with meshes or perforations through which finer particles of a mixture (as of ashes, flour, or sand) of various sizes may be passed to separate them from coarser ones, through which the liquid may be drained from liquid-containing material, or through which soft materials may be forced for reduction to fine particles

sieve

2 of 2

verb

sieved; sieving
: sift

Examples of sieve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Use a sifter or a fine-mesh sieve to sift the flour, 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and the salt together three times. Andrea Weigl, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 After four weeks, use a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve to strain the bitters; discard the herbs. Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2023 Drain the berry mixture through a sieve into a measuring cup. Adriene Rathbun, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 Sift: Often used to describe how to prepare flour for baking; the flour and dry ingredients are put through a sieve or sifter to remove lumps and incorporate air. Andrea Weigl, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 For the garnish, shake Sichuan pepper flowers through a sieve to remove large pieces and allow the powder of the pepper to settle. Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl to remove the solids. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 13 July 2023 Use a sieve or coffee filter to strain the butter and spices from the rum, then store the spiced butter rum in a mason jar or bottle. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2023 How To Cook Rinse the dry rice two or three times in a fine mesh sieve to remove excess starch, if desired. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
Verb
Our students have spent hundreds of hours focusing on the fossils retrieved after sieving. Kristina A. Curry Rogers, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2020 Well, this one is based on a Dahl short story from a collection more aimed at adults, and represents an adaptation more faithful to its original than Fox but still sieved through Anderson’s unique visual style. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023 The hot mixture is then strained through a cheesecloth or sieve allowing the fruit juice to drip into a pan, leaving the seeds, skins, and solid fruit pieces behind. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2023 Drain shrimp into a colander or sieve and rinse with cold water. cleveland, 8 Aug. 2023 At promising sites, scuba-diving archaeologists photographed and collected soil samples to sieve on land for small finds. Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2023 But the show sieves most of its video-​age anxiety through Principal Coleman. Niela Orr, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023 Sieve the mixture two or three times through a fine sieve (fine mesh strainer) so that none of the needles end up in the final ice cream mixture. Lindsay Campbell, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2020 Your sales platform needs to sieve the master data source and provide contextual assistance to your teams via easy-to-use data nuggets. Venkat Malladi, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sieve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sive, from Old English sife; akin to Old High German sib sieve

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sieve was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near sieve

Cite this Entry

“Sieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sieve. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sieve

1 of 2 noun
: a device with meshes or holes to separate finer particles from coarser ones or solids from liquids

sieve

2 of 2 verb
sieved; sieving
: to put through a sieve : sift
sieve the tomatoes to remove the seeds

More from Merriam-Webster on sieve

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