monetize

American  

[mon-i-tahyz, muhn-] / ˈmɒn ɪˌtaɪz, ˈmʌn- /

especially British, monetise

verb (used with object)

monetized, monetizing

1. to legalize as money.

2. to coin into money.

   to monetize gold.

3. to give the character of money to.

4. Economics. to convert (a debt, especially the national debt) into currency, especially by issuing government securities or notes.

5. to make a profit or derive income from.

   Lots of people download the game, but the start-up hasn’t been able to monetize the add-on features.

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monetize British  

/ ˈmʌnɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to establish as the legal tender of a country

2. to give a legal value to (a coin)

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Other Word Forms

• monetization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of monetize

First recorded in 1875–80; from Latin monēt(a) money + -ize

Explanation

To monetize is to make money. If you write a popular blog, figure out how to monetize it so you don’t work for free. To monetize also means to establish a country's legal tender, as in to literally make money. The word money hides in monetize because it’s all about money. Establishing a new currency, or printing money, is what happens when a country monetizes, like when the European Union decided to monetize the Euro as its new currency. This verb is sometimes used to mean "exchange for money.” These days, monetize often refers to figuring out a way to make money from a website or app.

Example Sentences

The venture, the biggest attempt yet by Google to sell and monetize its own chips to external parties, will sharpen a rivalry with Nvidia, the market leader in AI computing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

“We continue to expect agentic traffic to pick up in 2H, with opportunity to monetize on a pay-per-crawler basis, adding upside to estimates,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

That said, he sees a number of other ways the company could monetize its investments.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

While the company is still viewed as a leader in creative software, Adobe recently has buckled under competitive pressure and market skepticism over its own efforts to integrate and monetize AI.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

In 2018, a guild called Method livestreamed its attempts, winning the tier and kickstarting a niche esport they could monetize, Tettleton said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026