take priority as meaning more important

[alpacinou]

Hello.

I want to suggest something is more important than another thing. How can I express this idea in an idiomatic way? I mean I don't want to use "important". I want to learn an idiom which has this meaning. Or if not an idiom, another collocation. Can I use "take priority"?

What do you think about this sentence I have written?

In other countries, economy is the most important issue in elections. However, in Norway, environmental issues take priority over all other matters.

Is there another idiom that I can use?

 

[emsr2d2]

"Take priority over" isn't an idiom. You could use "usurp", "take precedence over", or "knock all other matters out of the park" (baseball origin).

 

[alpacinou]

"Take priority over" isn't an idiom.

Does it work in the sentence from the first post?

 

[emsr2d2]

Does it work in the sentence from the first post?

Yes, it works perfectly well in the original sentence. Note that you needed the indefinite article before "economy" in the first sentence. I might also change "other" to "many", "some" or "most" (depending on which is true). That's because it's not clear yet what "other countries" is being compared to, as you haven't yet mentioned Norway. It's not wrong, though.

 

[GoesStation]

economy is the most important issue: saving money is the leading issue. (This is not natural in the given context.)

the economy is the most important issue: The country's ensemble of economic activity is the leading issue.