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

Our sessions became less about triage and more about integration. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Modern triage systems emerged from battlefields where medical personnel had to decide, in seconds, who could be saved. — Rob Lewis, New York Daily News, 17 June 2026

The energy shock sent Southeast Asia into a state of energy triage, leading to higher energy bills and rising inflation. — Anton L. Delgado, Fortune, 17 June 2026

The looming public offering is adding to the pressure on Anthropic, whose staff members flocked to DC this week to triage with US government officials that imposed export controls on one of the company’s most powerful models on Friday. — Liz Rappaport, semafor.com, 16 June 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