triage

American  

[tree-ahzh] / triˈɑʒ /

noun

1. the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors.

2. the determination of priorities for action.

   She began her workday with a triage of emails.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or performing the task of triage.

   a triage officer.

verb (used with object)

triaged, triaging

1. to act on or in by triage.

   to triage a crisis.

triage British  

/ ˌtriːˈɑːʒ, ˈtraɪ-, ˈtriːˌɑːʒ /

noun

1. (in a hospital) the principle or practice of sorting emergency patients into categories of priority for treatment

2. the principle or practice of sorting casualties in battle or disaster into categories of priority for treatment

3. the principle or practice of allocating limited resources, as of food or foreign aid, on a basis of expediency rather than according to moral principles or the needs of the recipients

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Etymology

Origin of triage

First recorded in 1925–30; from French: “a sorting,” from tri(er) “to sort” ( try ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

Securing two triage rooms to complete the exam as a way to ensure privacy in the busy emergency department, Dana, with help from Emma, begins the evidence collection while carefully outlining the process to Ilana.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

She said the "triage service was frequently understaffed" and at Bedford around a quarter of calls went unanswered or abandoned by the caller due to wait times.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

"Our model can automate that process, triage the routine cases, and highlight anything unusual for human review."

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026

“It was like triage in a war zone, except it was on Bondi Beach,” Ostrovsky said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

In peacetime, however, in a well-staffed, well-stocked American emergency room, triage isn’t about withholding care from anyone; rather, it’s identifying the patients in the gravest danger and treating them first.

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