Meaning & use
royalties
Last updated
“royalties” is a form of “royalty”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralbusiness
Payments made to an author, musician or inventor from the sales or use of their work.
Grammar: Plural of royalty; used with are: royalties are paid every quarter.
Patterns
- royalties from something
- royalties on something
The author earns royalties from every copy sold.
Musicians receive royalties when their songs are streamed.
The inventor lives off royalties on her patent.
nounpluraltechnical
Payments made to a landowner or government for the right to take resources such as oil or minerals.
Grammar: Plural of royalty; used in energy and mining.
Patterns
- royalties on something
The mining company pays royalties to the state.
Oil royalties fund the local budget.
Landowners collected royalties on gas extracted from their property.
nounpluralrare
Members of a royal family, taken together.
Grammar: Plural of royalty in the sense of people; the singular form is usually uncountable.
Patterns
- royalties of somewhere
Visiting royalties were welcomed at the palace.
The royalties of Europe gathered for the wedding.
Several royalties attended the ceremony.
Word forms
| singular | royalty |
|---|
Common combinations
- earn royalties
- She earns royalties from her cookbook.
- pay royalties
- The label pays royalties every six months.
- royalties on sales
- He gets royalties on sales above ten thousand copies.
- royalty payments
- Royalty payments arrive twice a year.
- book royalties
- Her book royalties paid for the new house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fees
- Fees are usually one-off charges, while royalties continue as long as the work earns money.
- commission
- A commission is a payment to someone for making a sale, while royalties go to the creator of the work.
- licensing fees
- Licensing fees are paid to use a product or idea and may be a fixed amount, whereas royalties vary with sales.
Word family
Commonly confused: royalties or loyalties?
royalties vs loyalties
Loyalties are feelings of faithful support. They sound similar but are about devotion, not payments.
Practice
A novelist receives a payment every time her book sells. What are these payments called?
Choose one answer.
Royalties are payments for use or sales of someone's work. Wages are for employment and taxes go to the state.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “royalties”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.