strike up

verb

struck up; struck up also stricken up; striking up; strikes up

intransitive verb

: to begin to sing or play or to be sung or played

transitive verb

1

: to cause to begin singing or playing

strike up the band

2

: to cause to begin

strike up a conversation

Examples of strike up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During rush hour on the Boston subway, Littlefield struck up a conversation with the person seated next to him about workplace recognition. —Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Moore's and Thornton's characters struck up a partnership as the leaders of M*Tex Oil after the shocking death of Jon Hamm's Monty Miller in the season 1 finale. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025

And at the 109-year-old Nu-Way, loyal patrons might strike up a conversation about their preferred order before talk takes an interesting turn. —Leslie Kelly, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Close rapport The summit is a showcase for closer ties between China and Russia, as well as the friendship struck up over the years by their two autocratic leaders. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for strike up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

strike up

verb

1

: to begin or cause to begin to sing or play

strike up the band

2

: to cause to begin

strike up a conversation