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

The nuclear bombers that flew to Poland around close to their airspace, and then these strikes up in the Arctic. —ABC News, 14 Sep. 2025

The rangers poked around camp with flashlights, striking up conversations with people still awake, and left. —Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025

However, nut allergies can strike up to six hours later. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025

At the Third Avenue stop, Enscoe struck up a conversation with a fellow street performer, Sydney Torin Shepherd. —Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 11 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