start-up

noun

ˈstärt-ˌəp 

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

Artificial-intelligence giant OpenAI has acquired TBPN, aka the Technology Business Programming Network, a media start-up that hosts a talk show about Silicon Valley and finance that has streamed online for about a year. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026

The tech industry and a disproportionate number of start-ups are in the San Francisco Bay Area. —Bill Gurley, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026

Dutch hydrogen propulsion start-up Conscious Aerospace is accelerating development of its 2MW-class fuel cell powertrain, targeting flight tests on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 within three years. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026

The last contest this wide open was a generation ago, when ‘Titanic’ ruled the box office and Google was a start-up. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for start-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup