prioritize

American  

[prahy-awr-i-tahyz, -or-] / praɪˈɔr ɪˌtaɪz, -ˈɒr- /

especially British, prioritise

verb (used with object)

• prioritizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• prioritized,
  past participle,  past
• prioritizing
  present participle

1. 

   to arrange or do in order of priority.

   learning to prioritize our assignments.

2. to give a high priority to.

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verb (used without object)

• prioritizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• prioritized,
  past participle,  past
• prioritizing
  present participle

1. to organize or deal with something according to its priority.

prioritize British  

/ praɪˈɒrɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to arrange (items to be attended to) in order of their relative importance

2. to give priority to or establish as a priority

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Spelling

See -ize.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prioritization
  noun
• reprioritization
  noun
• reprioritize
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• prioritizing
  present
• prioritized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prioritize
  simple
• prioritizes
  simple
• have prioritized
  perfect
• has prioritized
  perfect
• am prioritizing
  progressive
• are prioritizing
  progressive
• is prioritizing
  progressive
• have been prioritizing
  perfect progressive
• has been prioritizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• prioritized
  simple
• had prioritized
  perfect
• was prioritizing
  progressive
• were prioritizing
  progressive
• had been prioritizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prioritize
  simple
• will have prioritized
  perfect
• will be prioritizing
  progressive
• will have been prioritizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of prioritize

First recorded in 1965–70; priorit(y) + -ize

Explanation

Prioritize means to rank in order of importance. There are so many great clubs and activities to get involved in––you should be sure to prioritize the ones you like, or you'll get burned out. Prioritize can also mean to set something at the top of a ranking system. By prioritizing healthy eating and exercise, you can lose weight and stay in shape. In the same way, when something is a priority, it usually means it has a high priority, or as some like to say, "priority number one."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prioritize prioritizes prioritized prioritizing

“We might prioritize vision as the most important sense and faces as the essence of individualism, but there are other ways of knowing a person,” she writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

"Across several kinds of brain cells, this paired view revealed a consistent signature of 3D genome reorganization in Alzheimer's disease and helped us prioritize regulatory regions for future mechanistic and therapeutic investigation."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

“Workers continue to prioritize their financial future, saving at record levels and taking advantage of valuable benefits such as employer matching contributions. These steps can play a powerful role in strengthening long-term retirement readiness.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Coverage should not prioritize "clicks, engagement, or sensationalism," the spokesperson said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

I’ve been trying to prioritize everything left to do.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

“While direct-to-consumer platforms have increased patient access to GLP-1 receptor agonists, these findings suggest that some do so through impersonal care that prioritizes quick prescriptions over comprehensive care,” the researchers wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The idea was to embed prevention specialists within targeting teams and foster a culture that prioritizes civilian security in accordance with U.S. law and international rules of war.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

"But this work demonstrates that recycling can work when society prioritizes sustainability."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

“Apple prioritizes protecting gross profit dollar growth—rather than gross margins—on iPhones to limit demand elasticity on its core hardware product while also supporting installed base expansion,” he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security said Trump also prioritizes immigration that strengthens the country financially, socially and culturally.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Come with an agenda that's prioritized, not chronological.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

But my job, what I prioritized, is keeping it light.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

"I believe that shared safety standards and international coordination on further AI development need to be prioritized now," OpenIA's Pachocki said on Thursday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Apple has prioritized accessibility features for decades, with features such as the gesture-based screen reader VoiceOver and eye-tracking navigation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

As I had in the past, I completely compartmentalized my life and prioritized fencing above all else.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

That trend, they said, “suggests younger consumers are prioritizing purchases and experiences that deliver immediate gratification — consistent with the ‘little treat economy.’”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

In a culture where people are drinking less, and younger generations are prioritizing fitness and health, bottomless mimosas and carb-heavy menus don’t have the appeal they once did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Here’s the short version: Tradwives promote a traditional model of family life, prioritizing being a homemaker and a primary caregiver and supporting their husbands’ role as the primary breadwinner.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

As a young adult, White is prioritizing a different lifestyle.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Her brother talking about prioritizing his own interests over hers wasn’t that different from her prioritizing Mr. Griswold’s game over the cipher challenge.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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