variants or startup
often attributive
1
: the act or an instance of setting in operation or motion
2
: a fledgling business enterprise

Examples of start-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Having marked its 20-year anniversary last spring, the platform has evolved from scrappy, loss-making start-up to a smooth-running behemoth. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025 More than $1 billion has been poured into fertility start-ups in the last decade, according to the New York Times. Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025 The Fashion Hub occurs twice yearly, with both editions supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), which have always provided backing for innovative start-ups and next-gen designers. Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025 Karim Arabi, 59, was found guilty of hiding his role in the invention of a new microchip technology, as well as his part in a start-up company that sold the technology to Qualcomm. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for start-up

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of start-up was in 1845

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Start-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start-up. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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