prioritize

verb

Definition of prioritizenext
as in to categorize
to put in order based on importance We prioritized the hardest parts of the project before the easier ones.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prioritize For homeowners planning a refresh, lighting is the single highest-impact upgrade for the money, so prioritize it over new furniture if the budget is tight. — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026 The Eagles might be depicted as having prioritized playing Hurts over his health. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The Substack team fends off acquisition offers from Jack Dorsey’s Twitter and Musk’s X, choosing to prioritize their independence. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 The bill’s supporters said judges should prioritize public safety when deciding whether to release defendants. — Wendi C. Thomas, ProPublica, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prioritize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prioritize
  1. categorize
  2. organize
  3. sort
  4. classify
  5. sequence
  6. file
Verb
  • With this much space, the entire region can’t be categorized in any one specific way—except with the word dramatic.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Images get treated and categorized one way; PDFs another; text notes another.
    — David Pierce, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of categorize
Verb
  • Eire serves on the advisory board for the Disclosure Foundation, a nonprofit that organized the event and is dedicated to transparency around unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and aliens.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
  • On February 9, 1934, the French Communist Party organized a march to the Place de la République as a counter-protest to fascist riots, an action that helped lay the groundwork for the alliance of left-wing parties known as the Popular Front.
    — Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of organize
Verb
  • Focus on sorting what's piled up around your desk or dining table.
    — Andee Tagle, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
  • To Turner’s point about actual data, two state landfill audits, in which crews sorted and weighed real trash, put Californians’ 2023 single-use plastic use at about 3 million tons.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of sort
Verb
  • These counter-drone flyaway kits that are rapidly deployable help to spot, classify, and track UAVs.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Malm was traveling to speak at a conference alongside a co-founder of Palestine Action, a direct action group that the UK classified as a terrorist organization last year.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of classify
Verb
  • In reality though, every genome analysis is influenced by multiple of factors, such as the reference genome used for comparison and the technology used to sequence the DNA itself.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Scientists can sequence a genome, but understanding environmental impacts requires psychologists to follow thousands of people for decades.
    — Jessica Craig, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sequence
Verb
  • Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Oracle filed plans on Monday to issue new stock and more debt to finance its artificial intelligence buildout.
    — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The fast-casual spot wants to bring its famous Butter Burgers and frozen custard to 6200 Wilson Grove Road, near the Lawyers Square Shopping Center, according to a service site plan filed with the city.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of file

Browse Nearby Words

priorities
prioritize
prioritized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prioritize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prioritize. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All