sieve [sievesievessievedsieving] noun, verb BrE [sɪv] NAmE [sɪv] noun a tool for separating solids from liquids or larger solids from smaller solids, made of a wire or plastic net attached to a ring. The liquid or small pieces pass through the net but the larger pieces do not •Press the apricot jam through a sieve and stir in one tablespoon of cold water.
Word Origin: Old English sife (noun), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch zeef and German Sieb.
Example Bank: •Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Idiom: ↑have a mind like a sieve
verb ~ sth to put sth through a ↑sieve Verb forms:
Word Origin: Old English sife (noun), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch zeef and German Sieb.
Example Bank: •Liquidize or sieve half the soup and return it to the pot. •The compost is heavy and has been sieved to eliminate stones and twigs.