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

Jacksons has also struck up a pair of NIL deals with Bates and junior running back Dylan Riley that will offer benefits to fans. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Aug. 2026

Not long thereafter he was struck up to 11 times while napping. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Clark and Floyd strike up a deep friendship, easing their suburban loneliness. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

While Lucie and Charles strike up a romance, Sydney pines after her, complicating things. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 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