From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsort through something phrasal verbLOOK FORto look for something among a lot of similar things, especially when you are arranging these things into an order Vicky sat down and sorted through the files. → sort→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sort through • Sue Small was sitting in the offices, sorting through files, working late.• FitzAlan's brother-in-law sat there, sorting through piles of official-looking documents.• Stem pulls the box to him and begins sorting through the documents.• Then sort through the larger mess.• It was full, and he sorted through the mail.• Kirov sorted through the photographs, choosing two or three which seemed to most suit his purpose.• Shop for clothes or sort through the pile of papers on her desk.• Dominic sorted through the steely shapes in the table drawer until he found the bread-knife. 