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

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Etymology

Origin of monetize

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

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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

See Examples For:

monetize monetized monetizing

Much of the turmoil is due to an industry-wide struggle to manufacture and monetize heavier electric vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Wall Street has increasingly focused on companies with a clear story for how they will monetize AI, and Microsoft has checked that box recently, Lee noted.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

The tech giant is pushing to monetize its multibillion-dollar AI investments by selling more tools and services to companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The company announced new capabilities for its Copilot app, part of its push to monetize its artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Data-center operators monetize commitments by users to utilize capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

In a statement, the Vulins said they were relieved by Thursday’s ruling but disappointed “the person who provoked this encounter with hate speech then filmed and monetized it, faces no consequences.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Alphabet is another: Google Cloud is growing rapidly, its backlog is expanding and AI is increasingly being monetized across search, cloud and enterprise software.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

The consensus view broadly has been that the Google parent’s search and cloud businesses have successfully monetized AI, making it a front-runner in the race for AI dominance.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

It is curated, ranked, monetized and constantly optimized using first-party data that tracks what people watch, when they watch it and how they respond to ads.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

IOI believed that Halliday never properly monetized his creation, and they wanted to remedy that.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Apple is shifting its focus toward monetizing its expanding installed base in markets including India, Brazil and Mexico through greater adoption of higher-priced Pro-series models, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Critics of the couple argue that the Sussexes want a one-way street—demanding total privacy while simultaneously monetizing their private lives through commercial media deals, which earned them tens of millions of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Meta shares fell and Microsoft rallied after sending very different signals on how they’re monetizing their massive AI outlays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

That could further reward companies already monetizing the historic capital expenditures necessitated by the AI build-out and punish those still burning cash on promises, according to market analysts.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026

The financing surprised investors because it came before the company reported second-quarter earnings, when plans for borrowing, AI capital expenditures and monetizing tend to be updated.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

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