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

Some other features include a three-bay area for triage, to sort patients based on the urgency of their needs, and rapid medical exams. —Chase Jordan november 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Nov. 2025

Federman immediately set out to recruit Weatherly back to the station and perform some triage. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Nov. 2025

During non-court days, judges are on-call, Maxwell-Lopez said, and are asked to weigh in on bond levels, triage jail overcrowding and issue warrants. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

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

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