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Glite Dictionary
to sort through the dross

to sort through the dross

8.7
To look through a group of things and keep what is useful
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : filtrar lo inútil
  • Before publishing, the editor had to sort through the dross to find well-written articles.

Examples

  • It's important to sort through the dross when reviewing large amounts of information online.

  • Each week, he must sort through the dross to find rare collectibles.

  • You need to sort through the dross before making a decision.

  • He sorted through the dross to find the best items.

  • The curator had to sort through the dross in the collection to curate an impressive exhibition.

  • When cleaning out her garage, she needed to sort through the dross to keep only what she truly valued.

  • Before implementing the new software, the IT team must sort through the dross to eliminate outdated programs.

Synonyms

to sift
vsto sort through the dross
61 3.7

To look carefully through information to find what is important

emphasizes separating useful items from worthless ones rather than just finding items
to sift through
vsto sort through the dross
44 3.9

To look through many things carefully to find something specific

is focused on separating value rather than merely locating specifics or ordering
to sort out
vsto sort through the dross
37 2.8

To put things into groups and into the right order

aims at separating useful from worthless rather than only organizing or grouping
to separate the wheat from the chaff
vsto sort through the dross
  • Informal
3 6.6

To pick out useful people or things from those that are not

is about examining collections to separate useful parts from worthless material
to sieve
vsto sort through the dross
1 5.6

Examine information carefully to find what is important

uses examination across a collection specifically to pick out valuable pieces
to filter out the dross
vsto sort through the dross
  • Informal
7.2

To remove unwanted things so only useful ones remain

focuses more on careful examination and separation of value than mere removal

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to overlook
243 2.9

To not notice someone or something you should see

How Thorough

to weed out
37 3.8
to sort through the dross
  • Informal
8.7
to scan
127 2.7

Surface Forms

sort through the dross infinitive
sorted through the dross past
sorted through the dross past participle
sorting through the dross present participle
sorts through the dross third person singular

Morphology

sort + through + the + dross

If a learner knows 'sort' (to arrange or separate), 'through' (indicating thorough movement or examination), and 'dross' (waste or scum), the meaning 'examine and separate the valuable from the worthless' follows directly from combining these parts. The construction is a straightforward verb + particle + noun composition and mirrors common cross-linguistic patterns of sifting or filtering out rubbish, so it should be immediately comprehensible to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Sort through the dross comes from how metal workers cleaned melted metal. They would sort through the hot metal to take away the dross, the waste that rose to the top, so the phrase now means 'to find what is useful and leave what is worthless'.