start up

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

start up verb (adverb)

1. to come or cause to come into being for the first time; originate
2. (intransitive) to spring or jump suddenly from a position or place
3. to set in or go into motion, activity, etc: I started up the engine, the orchestra started up

adjective start-up

1. of or relating to input, usually financial, made to establish a new project or business

noun start-up

1. a business enterprise that has been launched recently

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

start-up  (stärt′up′), n. 

1. the act or fact of starting something;
   a setting in motion.

adj. 

2. of or pertaining to the beginning of a new project or venture, esp. to an investment made to initiate such a project, as in a commercial or industrial enterprise:
   high start-up costs.
   Also, start′up′. 

• noun, nominal use of verb, verbal phrase start up 1550–60