startup

American  

[stahrt-uhp] / ˈstɑrtˌʌp /

Or start-up

noun

1. the act or fact of starting something; a setting in motion.

2. a new business venture, or a new commercial or industrial project.

   a small, 5-month-old internet startup.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the beginning of such a venture or project, especially to an investment made to initiate it.

   high start-up costs for construction of a new facility.

Etymology

Origin of startup

First recorded in 1550–60; noun use of verb phrase start up

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Explanation

The word startup refers to either the process of beginning something or a new entrepreneurial business. The startup costs for your sister's startup might be higher than she thinks. Most startups offer their customers something innovative — a new product, like a dog toy that's truly indestructible, or an ingenious service, like a smartphone app that tells you where the closest public restrooms are. A startup begins with a great idea, is backed by investments of money, and is intended to grow very quickly — assuming it's successful.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

startup

The e-bike startup, called Also, was incubated within Rivian before launching publicly last year with a $3,500 flagship product.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

One startup, Greenjets, set out to tackle both "noise level and the frequency of that noise," as Darren James, future technologies lead at the company, puts it.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

The company this year acquired a high-performance, off-road electric startup called Dust Moto, but those bikes have yet to go on sale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The artificial-intelligence startup filed IPO paperwork on Monday, and D.A.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Both laboratories siphoned off Langley employees, including computers, for their startup staffs.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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