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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Albert Pujols, the likely Hall of Famer, had struck up a friendship with Smith during the slugger’s cameo with the Dodgers in 2021. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025 As the band, featuring a few American jazz artists, struck up the easy, bluesy opening chords, a surprise guest singer seemed to be all about adopting Frank Sinatra’s Vegas nonchalance. Martin Schram, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025 In Coldwater, Walking Dead star Lincoln returns to British screens as a repressed man who moves to a backwater Scottish village and strikes up a friendship with his next door neighbor Tommy (Ewen Bremner). Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025 Kellyman stars alongside June Squibb as a student, Nina, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 94-year-old woman who has recently returned back to New York from Florida. Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for strike up

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of strike up was circa 1562

Cite this Entry

“Strike up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20up. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on strike up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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