Strain
The crossword clue "Strain" is answered by SIFT, a 4-letter entry. Used 6 times across 6 distinct years; most recently in 2018; first recorded in 1955. It appears in 3 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself, never from a guess.
The answer
SIFT
4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the SIFT answer page.
Used 6 times across 6 distinct years; most recently in 2018; first recorded in 1955. It appears in 3 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.
Other answers for this clue
The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.
Other clues for SIFT
Every other clue in this collection answered by SIFT, most used first.
- Winnow - used 31 times, most recently in 2026
- Search (through) - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
- Screen - used 17 times, most recently in 2026
- Use a sieve - used 16 times, most recently in 2025
- Go (through) - used 14 times, most recently in 2021
- Sort (through) - used 13 times, most recently in 2023
- Work with flour - used 12 times, most recently in 2021
- Examine closely - used 11 times, most recently in 2013
- Make finer - used 10 times, most recently in 2025
- Process flour - used 9 times, most recently in 2013
- Put through a sieve - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
- Put through a strainer - used 8 times, most recently in 2025
- Refine, as flour - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
- Strain, as flour - used 8 times, most recently in 2023
- Prepare flour - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
- Baking instruction - used 6 times, most recently in 2026
- Recipe direction - used 6 times, most recently in 2019
Related clues
Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.
- Break under strain - SNAP, used 8 times
- Strain at a ___ - GNAT, used 8 times
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