start up

British  

verb

1. to come or cause to come into being for the first time; originate

2. (intr) to spring or jump suddenly from a position or place

3. to set in or go into motion, activity, etc

   he started up the engine

   the orchestra started up

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adjective

1. of or relating to input, usually financial, made to establish a new project or business

   a start-up mortgage

noun

1. a business enterprise that has been launched recently

start up Idioms  

1. Begin to operate, especially a machine or engine, as in Start up the motor so we can get going . [First half of 1900s]

2. Move suddenly or begin an activity, as in When the alarm rang I started up . [Early 1200s]

3. Organize a new enterprise, as in Starting up a business requires considerable capital . [Second half of 1900s]

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Explanation

A start-up is a brand new business. A typical start-up begins as a small team with a great idea working out of a home or coffee shop. A giant, well-funded company isn't a start-up — start-ups are entrepreneurial concepts with one or two founders that typically run on a small, shoestring budget. Starting a start-up, however, means you intend to grow it and make money. Shopify, Zappos, and AirBnB all began as start-ups. Many start-ups fail, and start-ups that end up valued at a billion dollars or more are so rare that they're known as unicorns.

Example Sentences

Start up the day’s final uphill stretch to our last-but-not-least destination: hot newcomer Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry, which has impressed J. Kenji López-Alt with its not-quite-bagel sandwiches.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2021

Start up a new map and, while there will be variations in the environment from session to session, your condition, needs, and goals never really change much.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2018

Start up the Linx 8 for the first time and it offers you the chance to lift you settings from a previous Windows 8 installation, replicating settings, formats, layouts, and preferences across all the apps.

From Forbes • Dec. 15, 2014

A walk I always recommend to people new to the city is simply straight down 5th Ave. Start up near the Met and walk all the way down to Washington Square Park.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2009

I holloed back, "Start up the fires so we can see where to come," and the fires lit up mighty quick.

From A Trip to California in 1853 Recollections of a Gold Seeking Trip by Ox Train across the Plains and Mountains by an Old Illinois Pioneer by Bailey, Washington