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

Amazon said it remains committed to investing in AI, describing the layoffs as part of an effort to prioritize the initiatives it believes will have the greatest impact for customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

For this to happen, the analysts said they would want the company to prioritize organic growth as opposed to completing large acquisitions and to finalize the deals that were delayed in the previous quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

It is the foundation for people to buy a home, pay for college, invest in their families’ future, prioritize their well-being, choose meaningful careers and spend time with their families, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

With the hotel motto being “stay by your own rules,” Rudolph says it was important for them to make the rooms adaptable to each guest’s needs and to prioritize comfort.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

“My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies.”

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

If anything, the movie could have used more of her, although it’s better overall that “Leviticus” prioritizes Naim and Ryan as queer protagonists caught in a chilling loop of escape and reunion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 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

The negativity could actually be a boon for Apple, which has long marketed itself as a company that prioritizes user privacy and safety.

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 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

But in the past few decades, private pensions have all but disappeared, and many workers are not saving enough for retirement — either because they can’t afford to or because they haven’t prioritized it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Miller said the company has prioritized increasing its volumes and delivering at lower prices, adding that he continues to see opportunity in the housing market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

The Kings have historically prioritized defense in a league that has shifted to attacking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

They were probably already working from a prioritized list of possibilities, entering them as fast as Sorrento could type.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

TotalEnergies TTE 2.03%increase; green up pointing triangle said it is prioritizing paying down its debt as conflict in the Middle East continues to provide an earnings tailwind and an opportunity to shore up balance sheets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Super Micro’s gross margins have been a key focus for investors in recent quarters, as the company has been making an expensive AI pivot and prioritizing capturing market share over profitability.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Ganfield said she wasn’t hurt and is prioritizing Turner’s recovery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Taken together, Blanche’s actions over the past 12 months make abundantly clear that he’s prioritizing the president’s agenda.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026

Human and animal foragers are constantly prioritizing and making effort-allocation decisions, even if only unconsciously.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• compute
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