IPO

American  

abbreviation

1. initial public offering: a company's first stock offering to the public.

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IPO British  

abbreviation

1. independent publicly owned company

2. stock exchange initial public offering

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IPO Cultural  

1. Abbreviation for i nitial p ublic o ffering; the first issuance of shares in itself by a public company.

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Etymology

Origin of IPO

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

SpaceX, of course, is planning a midyear IPO that could value Elon Musk’s company at up to $2 trillion, more than 10 times AT&T’s market capitalization.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

Maximizing financial strength is a priority for OpenAI ahead of a planned IPO as soon as this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

For every five shares of the Pershing Square USA closed-end fund that investors buy on the IPO day, they will get one bonus share of Pershing Square Inc.’s common stock.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

SpaceX, with over 10 million Starlink customers, plans a midyear IPO.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

The other, he said, are American investment banks and financial services companies, which often need to prepare glossy pamphlets with graphs to illustrate the benefits of an IPO or a proposed merger.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman