start up

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

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

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

Example Sentences

We just couldn’t start up something and have it lose money for a decade, like it was Facebook.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, the company is expanding its chemical business with two new projects it expects to start up in 2027.

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“Maybe the war has already started up there!”

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Seeing what they’ve been able to attain, and understanding how immigrants can start up businesses and restaurants here, speaks so much to what L.A. is really about.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In July, Shell started up its liquified natural gas project in Canada, expected to ship 14 million tonnes of LNG from British Columbia to Asia each year.

Read more on Barron's