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
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One student publicly apologized for stealing a Chinese AI model and passing it off as groundbreaking new research, and then went right to work at an AI start-up attempting to automate white-collar jobs. Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 The city also isn’t focusing on the incubator space for start-ups that could too easily relocate. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026 Despite its eye-watering start-up costs, Oklo has seen its shares surge roughly 210% over the past year. Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026 Ecuador’s community radio sector languished for decades but saw some improvement in 2010 when 14 licenses were issued to indigenous groups along with government start-up and training programs. Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026 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

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Cite this Entry

“Start-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/start-up. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

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