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.
For nearly two additional years, all the way to a six-hour cut of the movie that went deep on Musk’s 2025 DOGE era and his SpaceX IPO plate-spin this summer. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 An analysis by Redfin that looked at how much employees at both companies stand to gain potentially from the companies going public estimated that the combined IPO earnings would be enough to buy nearly one-third of all homes in San Francisco. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 The company said that 80 percent of IPO proceeds will be used for enhancing technological capacities and raising global brand awareness. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 Its prospectus for the IPO listing in Hong Kong also avoided mention of risks linked to Xinjiang controversy. — John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 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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