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
The comedy follows two strangers who strike up an unlikely friendship after meeting at a knee trauma clinic.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
If no one was at a nearby table, he would strike up a conversation with the waitress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Expect to see additional such markets in your news coverage as more outlets strike up deals.
From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2025
People always wanted to strike up conversation about it.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
