IPO

American  

abbreviation

1. initial public offering: a company's first stock offering to the public.

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IPO British  

abbreviation

1. independent publicly owned company

2. stock exchange initial public offering

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IPO Cultural  

1. Abbreviation for i nitial p ublic o ffering; the first issuance of shares in itself by a public company.

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Etymology

Origin of IPO

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

SpaceX is reportedly seeking a $2 trillion IPO valuation, which would position it as the sixth-most valuable U.S. company.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Find insight on Nvidia’s deal with Marvell Technology, SpaceX’s IPO, nCino and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

For starters, demand for the SpaceX IPO is, well, sky high.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“Large-scale production has further strengthened our bargaining power with upstream suppliers, creating a sustained cost advantage,” the company said in its IPO filing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The other, he said, are American investment banks and financial services companies, which often need to prepare glossy pamphlets with graphs to illustrate the benefits of an IPO or a proposed merger.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman