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

Nurses used a whiteboard to triage patients, placing them in beds side-by-side in pods of 12 so doctors could quickly move from one to the other. —Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

Prioritize Year-End Tasks Hospital professionals know the importance of triage. —Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

In response, agency leaders decided to conduct a kind of triage and focus the IRS’ dwindling might on the most pressing and addressable problems. —Paul Kiel, ProPublica, 11 Dec. 2024

Bel Air Volunteer Fire units and additional mutual aid personnel began the evacuation, triage and treatment of the affected students and initiated an investigation into the cause. —Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 9 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