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

Tech companies are racing to integrate AI into the clinical space by creating digital triage systems, diagnostic copilots, and decision-support tools designed to augment or even replace physician oversight. —Dr. Nicholas Cozzi, Time, 10 Nov. 2025

Each policy was framed as moral restoration; each was economic triage. —Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025

For patients with breast cancer, that AI triage cut the average time from mammogram to biopsy by 87%, from 73 days to nine days. —Elizabeth Cohen, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025

The new maternity ward, which was filled to the brim with boxes when the county took over operations, has six delivery rooms, 13 post-delivery rooms, four triage rooms and a six-bed neonatal intensive care unit. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

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