sieve
sieve Lexical Profile
sieve Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining solids from liquids, for separating coarser from finer particles, or for reducing soft solids to a pulp.
"She pushed the cooked raspberries through a fine sieve to remove the seeds before making the coulis."
A person who cannot keep a secret, or a defense or system that is entirely porous and unable to stop anything from passing through.
"The team's defensive line was an absolute sieve during the championship game, allowing five goals in the first half."
• verb
To put a food substance or other material through a mesh utensil in order to separate coarser from finer particles.
"Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl to ensure there are no lumps in the cake batter."
To carefully examine a large amount of information or items in order to isolate what is most important or useful.
"The investigators had to sieve through thousands of emails to find the crucial evidence."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently used in the idiom 'to have a memory like a sieve', referring to a person who forgets things very easily. It is also a notoriously commonly misspelled word; remember the 'i' comes before the 'e'.
• Rhymes for sieve
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'sive', derived from Old English 'sife'. It is of Germanic origin, related to Dutch 'zeef' and German 'Sieb'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.