verb
prioritize
preye-OR-uh-tyz
verb
1
To treat something as more important than other things, or to arrange tasks in order of importance.
"You need to prioritize sleep if you want to perform well at work."
"The manager asked the team to prioritize the urgent tickets first."
How to Use Prioritize
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo decide what matters most and deal with that first.
UK vs US
Also spelled prioritise in British English.
Common pairings
prioritize tasks
prioritize health
learn to prioritize
Word Forms
prioritized past tense, prioritizes singular
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Etymology
Formed from priority plus -ize; first recorded in American government jargon around 1967, and long criticized by usage purists as bureaucratic.