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
In his own time, the Captain strikes up an affair with Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh), a nisei woman who identifies as American first and Japanese second.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The two would strike up a friendship, chatting by phone on occasion and once playing golf at Bel Air Country Club, one of Garner’s favorite hangouts.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Haskins, a junior from Minneapolis who is a policy, philosophy and economics major, had struck up a friendship with Walter Palmer, a former Dartmouth player who works in the alumni office.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Instead of striking up a conversation with their-coworkers, Gen Z and millennials workers are turning to TikTok in a desperate bid to find friends.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2024
While being forced to spend time with elderly matchmaking women in London, Totah's character strikes up a romance with a woman named Honoria Marable (Mia Threapleton).
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Nielsen has struck up a partnership with EDO, a technology company co-founded by actor Edward Norton that examines data on consumers’ online search activity and website visits, among other actions.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Cecilia strikes up a friendship with Sister Mary (Simona Tabasco), an independent spirit who joined the convent to get away from an abusive relationship and bristles under the harsh order of the place.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
One night, when things get too much, Ste seeks refuge in Jamie’s flat and, sharing a bed, the boys strike up a new relationship.
—Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The two would strike up a friendship, chatting by phone on occasion and once playing golf at Bel Air Country Club, one of Garner’s favorite hangouts.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Haskins, a junior from Minneapolis who is a policy, philosophy and economics major, had struck up a friendship with Walter Palmer, a former Dartmouth player who works in the alumni office.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Instead of striking up a conversation with their-coworkers, Gen Z and millennials workers are turning to TikTok in a desperate bid to find friends.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2024
While being forced to spend time with elderly matchmaking women in London, Totah's character strikes up a romance with a woman named Honoria Marable (Mia Threapleton).
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Nielsen has struck up a partnership with EDO, a technology company co-founded by actor Edward Norton that examines data on consumers’ online search activity and website visits, among other actions.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Cecilia strikes up a friendship with Sister Mary (Simona Tabasco), an independent spirit who joined the convent to get away from an abusive relationship and bristles under the harsh order of the place.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
One night, when things get too much, Ste seeks refuge in Jamie’s flat and, sharing a bed, the boys strike up a new relationship.
—Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strike up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1562, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near strike up
Cite this Entry
“Strike up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20up. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
strike up
verb1
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share