IPO

noun

ˌī-(ˌ)pē-ˈō How to pronounce IPO (audio)
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.
United’s stock has been largely dead money for its first 13 years since its 2012 IPO, outside of a surge when the Glazer family hired Raine. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 22 July 2026 Moonshot is reportedly also preparing for a Hong Kong IPO to capitalize on investor enthusiasm for Chinese AI. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 22 July 2026 My position was, and is, to buy the IPO once everyone hates it and has forgotten the hype. — Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 The announcement comes just a month after SpaceX ’s historic IPO and ahead of potential monster offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic. — Jeff Marks,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 22 July 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

IPM
IPO
Ipoh
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“IPO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/IPO. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Legal Definition

IPO

noun
ˌī-ˌpē-ˈō How to pronounce IPO (audio)
: an initial public offering of a company's stock
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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