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.
Alice Liu The most accurate valuation for the recent IPO of China’s largest memory chipmaker did not come out of Shanghai. Alice Liu, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Gordon, for 15 years, has been building the baby registry service Babylist, which has quietly come to dominate its category and is on track for $1 billion in revenue and an IPO. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 29 July 2026 SpaceX wants to grow its Starlink mobile business, which analysts expect to hit $15 billion in revenue this year and which SpaceX, in its IPO pitch to investors, pegged at $740 billion market. Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 29 July 2026 If successfully listed, Shein would become the largest cross-border e-commerce IPO I n Hong Kong this year. Denni Hu, Footwear News, 27 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

Cite this Entry

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

Legal Definition

: an initial public offering of a company's stock
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!