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

The second person is believed to have been exposed to the virus at Trinity Health Ann Arbor's waiting and triage area, where another Washtenaw County resident contagious with measles had gone for care. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 12 July 2024

The trips have been grueling, 23-hour bus rides, often without food, that typically end at St. Anthony’s Croatian Catholic Church, which has served as a triage center for asylum-seekers. —Alejandra Molina, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024

State prison staff administered aid to Hernandez before he was sent to the prison’s triage area. —Hannah Poukish, Sacramento Bee, 28 June 2024

The new space will improve the flow of patients who arrive at the emergency department by ambulance — that’s nearly a third of those who receive treatment — by allowing emergency medical service personnel to bring them directly to the triage room. —Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024

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