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Glite Dictionary
to turn a nice dollar

to turn a nice dollar

7.8
Make a good amount of money from business or sales
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : generar buenas ganancias
  • The restaurant managed to turn a nice dollar during the holiday season.

Examples

  • With minimal investment, they were able to turn a nice dollar on vintage furniture sales.

  • They turned a nice dollar from their investment.

  • He's always looking for ways to turn a nice dollar through smart deals.

  • Do you think we can turn a nice dollar this year?

  • Many entrepreneurs aim to turn a nice dollar by introducing innovative products to the market.

  • She was thrilled to turn a nice dollar on her recent investment in stocks.

  • With their new marketing strategy, they expect to turn a nice dollar from their online sales.

Synonyms

to make money
vsto turn a nice dollar
477 1.2

To get money by working or running a business

specifies a good or satisfactory financial gain rather than general income
to profit
vsto turn a nice dollar
140 3.2

To get an advantage from something

narrows sense to earning a satisfactory financial gain in business
to make a killing
vsto turn a nice dollar
  • Informal
21 4.9

To earn a lot of money very quickly and easily

describes a good but not an enormous or instant gain
to turn a profit
vsto turn a nice dollar
19 3.2

To earn more money than you spend running a business or project

emphasizes a satisfactory financial gain rather than any small one
to turn a nice penny
vsto turn a nice dollar
  • UK
7.2

Make good money from a business or activity

is the same idea but uses a different casual phrasing

Antonyms

loss
695 2.1

Money lost by a business or person

to turn a loss
6.4

To make less money than you spend in a business or project

How Profitable

to turn a nice dollar
  • Informal
7.8
to make money
477 1.2
to earn
780 1.0

Surface Forms

turn a nice dollar infinitive
turned a nice dollar past
turned a nice dollar past participle
turning a nice dollar present participle
turns a nice dollar third person singular

Morphology

turn + a + nice + dollar

The meaning 'to make a good or satisfactory profit' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'turn' in the sense of earning, 'a' (article), 'nice' as an intensifier meaning good/sizable, and 'dollar' as money. This follows common compositional patterns (e.g. 'turn a profit', 'earn a dollar') and is cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase turn a nice dollar paints a picture of someone taking a single dollar and using skill to turn it into more money. So, it means 'to make a good profit'.