prioritize

verb

pri·​or·​i·​tize prī-ˈȯr-ə-ˌtīz 

-ˈär-;

ˈprī-ə-rə-

prioritized; prioritizing

transitive verb

: to list or rate (projects, goals, etc.) in order of priority

prioritization

prī-ˌȯr-ə-tə-ˈzā-shən 

-är-;

ˌprī-ə-rə-

noun

Examples of prioritize in a Sentence

It's always difficult to prioritize work, school, and family.

If you want to do your job efficiently, you have to learn to prioritize.

The town council hopes to prioritize the bridge construction project at the next meeting.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Department of Defense has prioritized border security, Middle East operations, and the Golden Dome missile defense system in its shutdown strategy. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

Guardrails and limits OpenAI says Sora’s design prioritizes consent and moderation. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2025

These services prioritize privacy, don't sell your data and offer stronger protection against trackers hidden in emails. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025

Doing so can lead to prioritizing different first-round selections, particularly later in Round 1. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prioritize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize