What does prioritize mean?
Prioritize means to decide that one matter is more important than another and to give it attention, effort, or precedence accordingly. In everyday use, people prioritize tasks when planning their time: the most urgent or consequential work is handled first. The word is also common in institutional settings, where governments, schools, companies, and hospitals prioritize needs, spending, safety, or policy goals. Its use often implies a deliberate choice between competing demands, rather than simply doing something important. The related noun, priority, names the rank or importance assigned to a matter. Both words come from a Latin tradition associated with prior, meaning “before” or “first in order.” Prioritize is therefore useful not only for describing what comes first, but also for drawing attention to the standards by which choices are made.
verbTo give something greater importance or precedence than something else, especially when deciding what to do first. It can also mean to identify and arrange tasks or concerns in order of importance.
- To assign greater importance or precedence to something.
- To arrange tasks, concerns, or resources in order of importance.
- To treat a matter as more important than another, sometimes to the exclusion of the other.
"When time is limited, prioritize the tasks that will have the greatest impact."
"The committee prioritized preventive healthcare over more expensive treatment programs."
"Small businesses often have to prioritize customer support while keeping costs under control."
From Latin prior, meaning “earlier” or “former,” prioritize literally means to put something first—and in a crowded world, deciding what comes first can matter more than doing more.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prioritize come from?
The word comes from priority, which in turn is based on Latin prior, meaning “earlier” or “former.” The idea developed from the Latin primus, meaning “first,” and later spread into English through the related words primacy, prime, and priority. The verb prioritize developed from the noun during the 19th century and became established in English as a way of describing the deliberate ordering of concerns or actions.
Related word forms
How prioritize is actually used
The verb is common in professional, educational, political, and everyday contexts. It can sound strategic or managerial, especially when used with words such as tasks, resources, and goals. British English commonly uses the spelling “prioritise,” while American English generally uses “prioritize.”
Easily confused with prioritize
Prioritize is the verb meaning to give something precedence, while priority is the noun meaning the position or importance assigned to something.