strike up
Britishverb
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(of a band, orchestra, etc) to begin to play or sing
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(tr) to bring about; cause to begin
to strike up a friendship
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(tr) to emboss (patterns, etc) on (metal)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sabatino wrote that, although he spoke little Spanish and El Chapo barely any English, they were able to strike up a friendship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
DeReiss, who described the women as "hilarious", said he hopes the story encourages people to strike up conversations with strangers.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
I was always amazed at the ability of my husband’s parents to strike up conversations with total strangers any time in almost any place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Expect to see additional such markets in your news coverage as more outlets strike up deals.
From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2025
Wolf specialized in infiltrating the West German government, sometimes with "Romeo spies," who would strike up romances with unsuspecting single women—many of them secretaries to powerful generals and political figures.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
