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 two wives soon strike up a tentative friendship as Ye-ji expresses interest in telling Ho-seok’s story — but the group dynamic grows increasingly complicated by their extreme class differences and subtly conflicting desires. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

On the second snap of the next possession, Allen hit Moore for 15 yards and on the next play fired a strike up the right sideline. — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Thompson said that Williams struck up their friendship after they during an English class on Zoom. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026

Andrew was napping on a couch in the family home when he was struck up to 11 times with a hatchet. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

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