triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh  ˈtrē-ˌäzh 

1

a

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

b

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

2

: the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success

triage transitive verb

Examples of triage in a Sentence

Nurses do triage in the emergency room.

Recent Examples on the Web

More raw indicators, unmeasured against our environment, is a larger pile to triage, not a clearer picture. — Jonathan Stewart, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Other examples include an app for rural schools without internet in Chile; a medical triage chatbot for rural patients in India, and translation models for African languages that run on basic phones. — IEEE Spectrum, 3 Nov. 2026

Staffers called 911 and began life-saving procedures on the inmate victim as he was taken to the prison's triage area, CDCR said. — Senior Editor, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

And in digital health and software, China is reshaping everything from triage and appointment booking to consultation, payment, and prescriptions. — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, sorting, sifting, from trier to sort, from Old French — more at try entry 1

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Medical Definition

triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh  ˈtrē-ˌ 

1

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

2

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

triage transitive verb