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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Nine years later, and the very together Alice is walking by a luxury auto dealership near her apartment where a very attractive salesman named Robert Hansen tries to strike up an acquaintance. 
John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The socialite and entrepreneur have known each other since their mid-20s, but didn't strike up a romance until late 2019. Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2022 As people passed by the table, Anderson-Tolbert would strike up conversations with them. Angus Chen, STAT, 30 June 2022 While many elves and dwarves distrust each other, the smiths of Eregion and Khazad-dûm (a.k.a. Moria) strike up a friendly alliance, swapping secrets and trading techniques. Christian Holub, EW.com, 14 June 2022 Try renting a booth at a coworking space or head to the local coffee shop, and don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation. Julie Ball, Forbes, 3 May 2022 Moore said his locker is situated right next to Brown and that the two have already been able to strike up a friendship. Bob Mcmanaman, The Arizona Republic, 3 June 2022 While Sarmat can theoretically strike up to ten separate targets, the distance between cities such as London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland is likely too great for a single missile to cover. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 5 May 2022 Scientists hope that these and other messages, written in binary code of zeroes and ones, will resonate with extraterrestrial life forms in the Milky Way galaxy and invite them to strike up a conversation with Earthlings. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 May 2022 See More
John Anderson, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The socialite and entrepreneur have known each other since their mid-20s, but didn't strike up a romance until late 2019. Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2022 As people passed by the table, Anderson-Tolbert would strike up conversations with them. Angus Chen, STAT, 30 June 2022 While many elves and dwarves distrust each other, the smiths of Eregion and Khazad-dûm (a.k.a. Moria) strike up a friendly alliance, swapping secrets and trading techniques. Christian Holub, EW.com, 14 June 2022 Try renting a booth at a coworking space or head to the local coffee shop, and don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation. Julie Ball, Forbes, 3 May 2022 Moore said his locker is situated right next to Brown and that the two have already been able to strike up a friendship. Bob Mcmanaman, The Arizona Republic, 3 June 2022 While Sarmat can theoretically strike up to ten separate targets, the distance between cities such as London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland is likely too great for a single missile to cover. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 5 May 2022 Scientists hope that these and other messages, written in binary code of zeroes and ones, will resonate with extraterrestrial life forms in the Milky Way galaxy and invite them to strike up a conversation with Earthlings. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1562, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense