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

He says he wants to "rescue" Brazil, promising to be tough on crime and prioritize fiscal responsibility.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Another 15,000 were given to HSI’s cross-border financial crimes unit, which was told to prioritize them over money laundering and fraud cases, a former high-level HSI official said.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

He plans to prioritize construction of new 1,000-square-foot homes by fast-tracking their approval, reducing fees and placing a moratorium on new housing regulations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

In a tight supply environment, customers are likely to prioritize core memory capacity over storage since the latter can be added through pluggable components, Weathers said, citing a conversation with Micron executives.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Foundations would be lobbied to prioritize criminal justice reform.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Min said he ultimately was disappointed at Cal State Long Beach’s selection of food trucks, as a student who prioritizes cutting his cost of living.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

The strategy can appear somewhat random because it prioritizes gathering information over directly pursuing the answer.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

A more conservative allocation, such as 40% stocks and 60% bonds, generally prioritizes capital preservation over growth.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

But in April the company said that facility is now on hold as it prioritizes other projects.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Best For Anyone who prioritizes speed and streaming within a limited data budget.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

The poultry industry has for years prioritized breeding bigger chickens, aiming to increase the amount of products harvested from each bird.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Employers rated job-specific abilities first, while educators ranked them last and prioritized broader “soft” skills.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

“The President wants the United States to be treated fairly and he has prioritized using foreign policy to enhance domestic economic prosperity.”

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

In past Octobers, the Dodgers have prioritized defense at catcher.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

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

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Brazil's representative made a similar note, saying "the organization must play a constructive role, prioritizing the opening of channels for negotiation."

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Trainer Bob Baffert and Nysos’ owners, Baoma Corp. and Coolmore, “unanimously agreed to take a strict precautionary approach, prioritizing the horse’s long-term health and safety above all else.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

After watching “Avatar: The Way of Water” at an Imax theater in London, Weaver began going to the movies more often and prioritizing more theatrical experiences, including older films and specialty screenings.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

The company said it is prioritizing deleveraging amid the price environment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

It works out contingencies and relationships and sorts through the mountain of information we get from the outside world, prioritizing it and putting flags on things that demand our immediate attention.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• compute
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• set up