monetize
MUHN-ih-tyz
/ˈmʌn.ɪ.taɪz/
To convert an asset, activity, online traffic, or content into money or revenue.
Focuses on building business mechanisms around previously unmonetized attention or creative output.
The story behind the word. Traces back to Latin 'Moneta', an epithet of the Roman goddess Juno, in whose temple money was coined. The verb emerged in 19th-century banking to describe establishing legal tender, later shifting in the late 1990s to converting website traffic into dollars.
Word relationships
- commercialize: 'Commercialize' implies adapting a product for mass-market production and sale, while 'monetize' often means earning revenue directly from existing audience attention.
- capitalize: 'Capitalize' means taking advantage of an opportunity, whereas 'monetize' specifically means generating financial returns.
- subsidize: 'Subsidize' means paying money to support something rather than earning revenue from it.
Commonly confused with
- monopolize: 'Monopolize' means dominating a market, whereas 'monetize' means generating income.
Word family
- monetization (noun): The process of converting something into money.
- monetized (adjective): Converted into a source of revenue.
Collocations
- monetize content
- monetize traffic
- monetize a platform
- ability to monetize
Idioms & expressions
- turn views into cash
- cash in on
Example sentences
- "After reaching one hundred thousand subscribers, the creator began to monetize her channel through merchandise and ads." Creator economy
- "The app developer struggled to monetize his vast user base without ruining the user experience." Digital strategy
Memory hook
MONEY-tize: turning your time or content straight into MONEY. Turn views into cash.
When not to use
Avoid using for simple one-time cash sales of physical items.
Fun facts
- The Roman goddess Juno Moneta got her title 'Moneta' (the Warner) because her sacred geese warned Romans of a night attack by the Gauls in 390 BCE.
Explore more words
monetization, commercialize, commercialization, commodify, commodification, incentivize
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