strike up
verb
struck up; struck up also stricken up; striking up; strikes up
: to begin to sing or play or to be sung or played
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
Maycock had struck up a friendship with Braddy’s wife.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Sometimes travelers feel pressured to take a tour, go to a club, or accept a handout from someone on the street who then strikes up a conversation.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 14 Jan. 2026
Perry struck up a relationship with Canada's former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, since parting ways with Bloom.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
All was fine until the wife struck up a political conversation with a man at a nearby table.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strike up
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.
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Sometimes travelers feel pressured to take a tour, go to a club, or accept a handout from someone on the street who then strikes up a conversation.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 14 Jan. 2026
Perry struck up a relationship with Canada's former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, since parting ways with Bloom.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 13 Jan. 2026
All was fine until the wife struck up a political conversation with a man at a nearby table.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strike up
Cite this Entry
“Strike up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20up. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
