plural IPOs
: an initial public offering of a company's stock

Examples of IPO 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.
Musk cofounded OpenAI as a nonprofit dedicated to creating safe AI, but Altman later launched a for-profit subsidiary and is now gearing up for an IPO. Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Where that leaves OpenAI’s plans for an IPO is anything but clear, with Friar reportedly butting heads with Altman on when to go public, a disagreement both denied in a statement to the WSJ. Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026 Beyond entertainment, Alba founded consumer goods company The Honest Company in 2012, becoming the youngest Latina to take a company public with its IPO on NASDAQ in 2021. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026 OpenAI is racing to beat Anthropic and Musk’s xAI, which has been subsumed by SpaceX and is trying to IPO this summer. Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for IPO

Word History

Etymology

initial public offering

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of IPO was in 1976

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“IPO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/IPO. Accessed 5 May. 2026.

Legal Definition

: an initial public offering of a company's stock
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