startup
startup — noun
1. a newly formed small company that often focuses on technology or new ideas and a
a newly formed small company that often focuses on technology or new ideas and aims to grow quickly
Yumi founded a tech startup that builds language-learning apps for children.
tech startup + builds [product]
Many investors are looking for promising startups in the renewable energy sector.
promising startup — adjective collocation
The startup grew from two people in a garage to over sixty employees.
Élise left her bank job to join a startup that makes smart home devices.
Rachid's startup received funding from a venture capital firm based in Taipei.
- venture
more formal; emphasises risk and investment rather than newness
- young enterprise
less common in everyday speech; more typical of business writing
- established company
a business that has been operating for many years
- corporation
a large, formally structured company, usually not newly formed
用法筆記
Often used in the context of technology and innovation, though not limited to that field.
常見錯誤
2. the moment or act of beginning the operation of a system, process, or piece of e
the moment or act of beginning the operation of a system, process, or piece of equipment
The startup of the new factory line was delayed by a shortage of materials.
startup of [facility] — preposition pattern
Kevin is in charge of planning the startup of the online payment system next month.
Engineers reported several minor problems during the startup of the power plant.
The entire project faced unexpected costs from startup through the first year of operation.
- launch
more general; can apply to products, campaigns, or rockets, not just systems
- commencement
formal; rarely used for equipment
- shutdown
the act of stopping operation
用法筆記
Often used in engineering, manufacturing, and project-management contexts. Distinguish from sense 1 (BUSINESS): this sense describes the act of starting something, not the company itself.
3. the sequence of operations that a computer performs from the moment the power is
the sequence of operations that a computer performs from the moment the power is turned on until it is ready to work
The new laptop has a very fast startup and is ready in under ten seconds.
fast startup — adjective collocation
Ilan restarted his computer to fix a problem that appeared during startup.
You can choose which programs open automatically at startup in the settings menu.
The computer made a strange noise during startup, so Sofia called the IT help desk.
A slow startup often means the hard drive is full and needs cleaning.
- boot-up
informal; more common in everyday speech than in technical manuals
- system start
more technical; found in official documentation
- shutdown
the process of turning a computer off
用法筆記
Uncountable — do not say 'a startup' when referring to a computer's boot process. Use 'the startup' or 'startup' without an article.
常見錯誤
startup — adjective
1. describing a company that has only recently begun operating, especially in a fie
describing a company that has only recently begun operating, especially in a field involving technology or new methods
A start-up company in Shenzhen is developing a new kind of electric battery.
start-up company + [location] + develops [product]
The city offers tax breaks to attract start-up businesses to the area.
Many start-up firms fail within their first two years due to cash-flow problems.
Paul joined a start-up studio that produces short films for streaming platforms.
- newly founded
more formal; can also follow the noun ('the company is newly founded')
- early-stage
used mainly in business and investment contexts
- established
describing a company that has been operating for a long time
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'the company is start-up' — use 'the company is a startup' (noun) instead.
常見錯誤
2. relating to the process or costs involved in creating and developing a new busin
relating to the process or costs involved in creating and developing a new business
Kemi and Ilan could not pay their start-up costs in the first year.
start-up costs — fixed collocation for expenses
The government provides start-up grants for young people who want to open their own shop.
start-up grant — grant for new businesses
Lakshmi attended a workshop on start-up financing for women entrepreneurs.
Good start-up planning helped Defne avoid common mistakes when she launched her cafe.
用法筆記
Commonly used with nouns like 'costs,' 'funding,' 'capital,' 'grant,' 'phase,' and 'support.' Distinguish from sense 1 (NEW COMPANY): sense 1 describes the company itself, while sense 2 describes the activities or resources needed to start one.
3. describing the operations and settings involved in booting a computer after the
describing the operations and settings involved in booting a computer after the power is turned on
The technician checked the start-up sequence to find out why the server kept crashing.
start-up sequence — technical collocation
You can change the start-up settings to make the computer boot more quickly.
A virus in the start-up files caused the system to freeze every morning.
Christopher installed a new hard drive and updated the start-up configuration.
- boot
more common in everyday computing; 'boot sequence' is interchangeable with 'start-up sequence'
- initialisation
British spelling; more technical and less frequent in casual use
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive). Common with technical nouns such as 'sequence,' 'disk,' 'files,' 'program,' 'screen,' and 'configuration.'