triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh 

ˈtrē-ˌäzh

1

a

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

b

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

2

: the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success

triage transitive verb

Examples of triage in a Sentence

Nurses do triage in the emergency room.

Recent Examples on the Web

The new space will improve the flow of patients who arrive at the emergency department by ambulance — that’s nearly a third of those who receive treatment — by allowing emergency medical service personnel to bring them directly to the triage room. —Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024

Sources familiar with the ongoing budgetary triage say that the next phase of work on the Second Ave. subway — a project so historically subject to delays it’s become a multigenerational punch line since the 1970s — is likely to be delayed again. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 25 June 2024

But advocating for large buyouts of clustered properties meant McGee was pushing for something novel at a moment when New Jersey was in triage mode. —Jen Schwartz, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2018

Four ambulances and two engine companies helped triage, treat and transport patients at the scene, the department said in a statement. —Jillian Sykes, CNN, 9 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, sorting, sifting, from trier to sort, from Old French — more at try entry 1

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Medical Definition

triage

noun

tri·​age trē-ˈäzh  ˈtrē-ˌ 

1

: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors

2

: the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care

triage transitive verb