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

By maintaining an inventory of the entire software ecosystem through an open ecosystem approach, ASPM enables organizations to effectively triage and remediate risks, ultimately delivering a better return on their security investments. —Chris Wysopal, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, amiable head of triage, Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif), has her movements monitored by an ankle bracelet — for reasons that have yet to be revealed. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025

Instead, she and Rachel are forced to conduct triage under a tent outside. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 3 Jan. 2025

And the real world of software development is far more interactive and complex, with many teams working together to co-design, triage, and collaboratively solve large-scale problems. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Dec. 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