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 financial strain often cascades into physical distress, as owners are forced to triage expenses—prioritizing debt service over maintenance—resulting in increasing levels of deferred upkeep across many properties and poorer living conditions.
—
Shimon Shkury, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Vast triage structures evolved to determine who got to learn what, when: medieval guilds, say, or network news reports.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Following triage protocols, our 94 wounded were helicoptered out.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
Which brings us back to the concept of triage and using resources in a way that maximizes the good that results: How many of the tasks that these departments now use their staffs to handle are actually more important than striving to prevent San Diego’s version of L.A.’s nightmare?
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for triage
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Shimon Shkury, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Vast triage structures evolved to determine who got to learn what, when: medieval guilds, say, or network news reports.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Following triage protocols, our 94 wounded were helicoptered out.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
Which brings us back to the concept of triage and using resources in a way that maximizes the good that results: How many of the tasks that these departments now use their staffs to handle are actually more important than striving to prevent San Diego’s version of L.A.’s nightmare?
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for triage
Cite this Entry
“Triage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triage. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
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
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