monetize
MUN-ih-tyze
/ˈmʌnɪtaɪz/
To convert an asset, skill, audience, activity, or software service into money or revenue streams.
Refers to creating economic payment systems around non-monetized talents or digital content.
The story behind the word. Rooted in Latin 'moneta', which originally referred to the temple of Juno Moneta in Rome where silver coins were struck. In 19th-century economics, 'monetize' meant converting bullion into legal legal-tender coins; modern business shifted its meaning toward generating cash flow.
Word relationships
- commercialize: Commercialize means bringing a physical product to market, while monetize focuses on extracting cash revenue from an asset.
- demonetize: To remove the potential to generate financial income from an asset or platform channel.
Commonly confused with
- capitalize: Capitalize means taking strategic advantage of an opportunity; monetize specifically means turning something into cash.
Word family
- monetization (noun): The process of converting something into money.
- monetized (adjective): Converted into revenue generation.
Collocations
- monetize content
- monetize skills
- monetize traffic
- monetize platform
Idioms & expressions
- turn talent into gold
- cash in on
Example sentences
- "The writer began to monetize her weekly newsletter by introducing premium subscription tiers." Creator Economy
- "Software companies look for creative ways to monetize free open-source software through enterprise add-ons." Corporate Strategy
Memory hook
Turn your skill into MONEY-tize. Monetize = turn into money.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'investing' or 'donating'.
Fun facts
- The word 'mint' and 'money' both share the exact same Latin root 'moneta' as monetize.
Related words
Explore more words
monetization, commercialize, commercialization, commodify, commodification, incentivize
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