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
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
Osubor picked it up and handed it to him, and the two struck up a conversation.
—Juliet Pennington, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The guy in the back seat with me was just, like, trying to strike up small talk.
—Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strike up
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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
Osubor picked it up and handed it to him, and the two struck up a conversation.
—Juliet Pennington, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The guy in the back seat with me was just, like, trying to strike up small talk.
—Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 9 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 18 Jan. 2026.
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