1. intercontinental ballistic missile
2. International Business Machines
3. International Brotherhood of Magicians
4. Individual-Based Models

Noun

1. a company that dominates its field
   • 1968, George Washington University, Computers-in-Law Institute, National Law Center, The Law of Software: 1968 Proceedings:

     Univac was the IBM of the computer industry's incipiency; in 1952 Univac had virtually 100% of the market.

   • 1982, Tracy Kidder, The Soul Of A New Machine (ISBN 0380599317), page 238:

     First, to Sperry Univac, the descendent of the first real computer company, which might have become the IBM of the industry had it not blown its early lead;

   • 1990, Alfred Balk, The Myth of American Eclipse: The New Global Age (ISBN 0887383696), page 81:

     The US lead was mainly due to one firm, the IBM of its small, specialized field: Cray Research Inc.