sift out
Remove by screening
To sift out is to separate and remove something from a larger group or mixture, as flour is sifted to remove lumps.
The phrase typically emphasizes what's being eliminated rather than what remains: We need to sift out the unreliable data before analysis.
Sometimes the focus reverses—sifting out the good candidates means identifying and extracting them from a larger pool.
- winnowSort by blowing air
- sortMethod of ordering
- chaffProtective seed coverings
- eliminateRemove completely
- extractConcentrated derived substance
separate the wheat · separate · sieve · remove · cull · filter · scrutinize · discern · distill · screen · exclude · colander · refine · wheat · discard · pan · gold · pick through