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

In addition to 18 new treatment rooms, the expansion will add a new entry, waiting room and triage area, along with space for two additional emergency care teams. — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026

How To Tell Real Urgency From Manufactured Urgency Before the sorting aspect of triage comes in, leaders must first adopt a crucial mindset shift. — Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

At the same time, the interview also found that AI can help defenders triage alerts and accelerate investigations. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

In emergency medicine, triage prioritizes care for the mortally wounded and injured first. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 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