triage: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Technical
Quick answer
What does “triage” mean?
The process of prioritizing patients based on the urgency of their need for treatment, especially in a disaster or emergency situation.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The process of prioritizing patients based on the urgency of their need for treatment, especially in a disaster or emergency situation.
The process of assessing and prioritizing tasks, projects, information, or resources based on their relative importance, urgency, or value in any context, such as business, IT support, or customer service.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling and pronunciation are consistent.
Connotations
Strongly associated with medical emergencies and military field hospitals in both varieties. The extended business/IT usage is equally common in both BrE and AmE.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in AmE due to its common use in hospital ER contexts and business jargon. In BrE, it is strongly associated with the NHS and emergency services.
Grammar
How to Use “triage” in a Sentence
to triage [patients/emails/issues]to triage [NP] according to [priority/criteria]to triage [NP] into [categories/groups]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “triage” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The nurse will triage the incoming casualties at the field hospital.
- Please triage these support tickets by priority level.
American English
- We need to triage our project risks before the meeting.
- She spent the morning triaging a backlog of customer emails.
adjective
British English
- The triage process is critical for A&E department efficiency.
- They established a triage point outside the main entrance.
American English
- He was moved to the triage area immediately upon arrival.
- We implemented a new triage protocol for IT issues.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
We need to triage the client complaints and address the most critical ones first.
Academic
The study examines triage algorithms used in mass casualty incident response.
Everyday
With so many chores, I had to triage my weekend to-do list.
Technical
The IT team uses a ticketing system to triage software bugs by severity.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “triage”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “triage”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “triage”
- Using it as a simple synonym for 'sort' without the connotation of urgency and prioritization. Incorrect pronunciation (/ˈtraɪɪdʒ/). Confusing it with 'trial'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While its origin and most precise use is medical, it is now widely used in business, IT, customer service, and everyday language to describe any process of prioritization under constrained resources.
Yes, verb use (e.g., 'to triage patients', 'to triage emails') is very common, especially in the extended, non-medical senses.
In British English, it's typically /ˈtriːɑːʒ/ (TREE-ahzh). In American English, it's commonly /triˈɑːʒ/ (tree-AHZH), with the stress on the second syllable.
It comes from the French verb 'trier', meaning 'to sort'. It was adopted into English from French military medical practice during World War I.
The process of prioritizing patients based on the urgency of their need for treatment, especially in a disaster or emergency situation.
Triage is usually formal, technical in register.
Triage: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtriːɑːʒ/, and in American English it is pronounced /triˈɑːʒ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Triage the situation”
- “In the triage of life...”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: "TRIage" = "TRI" (three) + "age". Originally, patients were sorted into THREE categories: those who will die anyway, those who will live anyway, and those for whom immediate care makes a difference.
Conceptual Metaphor
RESOURCE ALLOCATION IS MEDICAL TRIAGE, IMPORTANCE IS URGENCY OF INJURY.
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following contexts is the use of 'triage' MOST metaphorical?