priority

American  

[prahy-awr-i-tee, -or-] / praɪˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr- /

noun

• priorities
  plural

1. the state or quality of being earlier in time, occurrence, etc.

2. the right to precede others in order, rank, privilege, etc.; precedence.

3. the right to take precedence in obtaining certain supplies, services, facilities, etc., especially during a shortage.

4. something given special attention.

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adjective

1. highest or higher in importance, rank, privilege, etc..

   a priority task.

priority British  

/ praɪˈɒrɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being prior; antecedence; precedence

2. the right of precedence over others

3. something given specified attention

   my first priority

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpriority
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• priorities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of priority

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French priorite, from Medieval Latin priōritās; see prior ¹, -ity

Explanation

When a group or a person cares about one thing over all others, that’s the top priority. “After the flood, finding a place to live became their first priority.” Priority comes from the word prior, which means to come before something else. A priority is the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others. “His first priority was to establish his career and get married later.” “When seeking the perfect wave, Jeff and Wayne made it their priority to be the first surfers on the beach.” "The new CEO's top priority was firing her predecessor's hires."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

priority priorities

He said Butler is taking office at a "critical time" for health and social care and the "immediate priority must be to provide stability and ensure that disruption is minimised".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Chiu has a slightly different challenge, ensuring that giving priority to those safety and security guardrails doesn’t slow the company’s pace of innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

This is likely one of the first choices to come to mind when discussing what should be included in your priority list, and that’s also why it made mine.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

But they likely will make the Alaska race a higher priority after a strong showing Tuesday by former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who topped the field in the primary against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

A few minutes after eleven in the morning, a courier charged into John McNaughton’s suite with a Flash priority cable for McNaughton.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Government spending and private investment in priorities like infrastructure, energy security and defense are creating real opportunities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

"The deputy minister for women's health has made improving abortion services one of this year's priorities as part of a strengthened women's health plan", a spokesperson added.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

OpenAI will commit $40 million to "support local priorities."

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Such systems can evaluate multiple inputs at once while making decisions informed by previous experiences and future priorities.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

As good as Farmer was as a clinical doctor, Hiatt had been urging him to rethink his priorities, including reducing his Haiti involvement to the role of consultant.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• arrangement
• preference