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

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Etymology

Origin of prioritize

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

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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

But the Treasury noted Tuesday that the bank "failed to prioritize" compliance despite agreeing to the 2024 order.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Chinese automakers may opt to prioritize higher-priced models, which could lead to stiffer competition with premium German brands, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

He laid out an affordability plan, which he refers to as “Califordable,” that he would prioritize if elected governor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Postpartum depression, limited partner support, housing problems, domestic violence, and other unmet social or safety needs can make it harder for new mothers to prioritize their own health, Yee said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

We decided to prioritize resentencing hearings in Louisiana for the “old-timers,” juvenile lifers who had been there for decades.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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

“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

She now plays for a team that prioritizes maternal support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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

Google said it has prioritized youth protections, particularly around emotional dependence and reinforcement of false beliefs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Scrolls found to contain lead could then be prioritized for CT scanning, potentially allowing many more texts to be recovered and building on the work of Seales and his collaborators.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Both Ukraine and Russia have increasingly prioritized the use and production of drones since the war began in February 2022.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

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

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Meanwhile, “Musk” was recently joined in theaters by Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning,” in which Jeremy Strong portrays Zuckerberg as a soulless ghoul prioritizing clicks over user safety.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The researchers believe this reflects the brain's ability to adapt to stressful situations by prioritizing information that may be important.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Instead of focusing on homeownership, many are prioritizing financial freedom and debt-free living.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

“The data shows a clear shift in what success looks like for today’s renters. Instead of focusing on homeownership, many are prioritizing financial freedom and debt-free living,” Chase Harrington, president of Entrata, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 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

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Related Words

• order
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