com·mer·cial·ize (k?-mûr?sh?-l?z?)tr.v. com·mer·cial·ized, com·mer·cial·iz·ing, com·mer·cial·iz·es 1. To apply methods of business to for profit.2. a. To do, exploit, or make chiefly for financial gain.b. To sacrifice the quality of for profit.com·mer?cial·i·za?tion (-sh?-l?-z??sh?n) n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.