Share this article

Learn the meaning of prioritize in English for business.

Do you sometimes look for the right words in meetings, emails or presentations? The key is to learn new business English vocabulary in phrases and repeat them often.

How to remember new business words in English

How Do You Achieve Your Goals?

We all want to have it all. A successful career, a happy family, good health, meaningful friendships, a beautiful home, and trips to exotic places.

We all want to thrive in life.

Yet, most of us struggle with productivity and getting things done at work and in life.

How can you do everything and achieve your goals?

Sometimes, we multitask to get everything done. But it’s not ideal to do various tasks at the same time. We cannot do it all.

To win, you cannot do everything at the same time. You have to decide what is most important right now.

We need to prioritize tasks – in business and in life.

*Note: This article may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Let’s say your goal is to improve your English.

Believe me, it can get overwhelming. You cannot focus on irregular verb forms, sales phrases, and pronouncing vowels correctly all at the same time. It would not bring you anywhere.

Instead, it’s best to focus on one goal at a time, and then move on once you have completed it.

Personally, I often get overwhelmed by all the things I still want to finish.

For example, I want to become fluent in Portuguese. When I am learning Portuguese, I am prioritizing the verb forms at the moment. I know I still have to improve my pronunciation and thousands of other things. But right now, the most important task is to master the verb forms.

You cannot focus on everything at once. To become fluent in a language, you have to learn so many different things. You have to set priorities.

What Is the Meaning of Prioritize in English?

To prioritize means to decide which tasks are most important to do.

A priority is an item that is more important than something else.

Instead of doing everything at the same time, you focus on a specific task or job, and do the most important one first.

The idiom “set priorities” has the same meaning.

The verb prioritize comes from the noun priority: a task or job that is more important than something else.

Now that you know the meaning of prioritize in English, let’s look at how to say the new word correctly.

How to Pronounce Prioritize Correctly in English

/praɪˈɔːr.ə.taɪz/

I know, this word looks scary if you see the pronunciation written like this.

Knowing the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is useful.

But don’t worry, it’s not that difficult to pronounce the word prioritize. First, listen to the correct pronunciation by clicking below:

The word has four syllables. The stress is on the second syllable, the “o.”

Notice that the word has three “i”s, but only the first and the last are pronounced the same.

Listen and repeat the pronunciation a few times.

Tip: Use a pronunciation tool to help you speak English better

How to Use the Verb Prioritize in Business

Note: The correct spelling of the verb in British English is: prioritise.

In American English, we write it with a “z” instead of an “s” (prioritize).

The English word prioritize is usually followed by an object (what is prioritized). Here are some examples of how you can use the verb:

You should make a list of all the jobs you have to do and prioritize them.
There has to be a prioritization of projects.
You have to prioritize this job because you can’t do everything.
You must learn to prioritize to be successful at your new job.
The management team uses data to prioritize tasks.
We need this information to prioritize

How to Use the Noun Priority in Business

The verb prioritize comes from the noun priority.

Take a look at how the noun priority can be used in context:

We need to identify our priorities.
Is the new website a high or a low priority right now?
The website is a top priority.
Our first priority is to improve the website.
We have a list of priorities; improving the website is one of them.

Study the New Vocabulary

I know it is hard to remember new words and phrases.

Use this system to remember Business English words

You can only learn a new word effectively by repeating it often. To help you remember the new vocabulary, I have created flashcards for you. You can practice and test yourself by using different study modes on Quizlet:

Study the new vocabulary on Quizlet

Let’s Practice

Now I would like to hear from you: What is one thing you will prioritize this week?

Let us know in the comments below!

Happy learning!

Learn more Business English vocabulary