Definitions of sift:

• verb:   move as if through a sieve

  Example: "The soldiers sifted through the woods"

• verb:   separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements

  Example: "Sift the flour"

• verb:   distinguish and separate out

  Example: "Sift through the job candidates"

• verb:   check and sort carefully

  Example: "Sift the information"