How to Use strike up in a Sentence

strike up

verb
  • Junior is now open, so strike up the band!
    — Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Then, a five-piece band strikes up in the corner.
    — Phil Thomas, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Since then, the two artists have struck up a friendship.
    — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2025
  • But many in academia worried that protests would strike up again in the fall.
    — Gina Kolata, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • Liza would babysit Ron, and the two struck up a friendship.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The guy in the back seat with me was just, like, trying to strike up small talk.
    — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The song struck up, there went the guitar solo and the crowd cheered.
    — Dylan Owens, The Know, 9 June 2019
  • The drones can strike up to a range of 62 miles (100 km).
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
  • But for the day, be gracious, strike up some small talk, and act happy to see them.
    — Kelly Williams Brown, Cosmopolitan, 10 Nov. 2013
  • Miguel strikes up a conversation with a man out for a stroll.
    — Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025
  • The pair appear to strike up a friendship over the course of filming.
    — Amy MacKelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Aug. 2019
  • The two struck up a friendship and have been speaking every day since.
    — Diana Bruk, Seventeen, 5 Aug. 2015
  • On the green, the group strikes up a classic game of Truth or Dare.
    — Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 28 July 2023
  • The two strike up an unlikely friendship and forge a unique bond over their pasts.
    — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Oct. 2020
  • The two struck up a friendship that lasted for the rest of Ali’s life.
    — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Read the room before striking up a convo.
    — Jenny McCoy, Outside, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The movie is built around two strangers who strike up a conversation on a long journey.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 24 Oct. 2022
  • For a third time, take action and don’t be scared to strike up a conversation.
    — Jason Hennessey, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2022
  • During the game, the bands struck up college fight songs on each side of the stadium.
    — Marci Shatzman, Sun-Sentinel.com, 19 Dec. 2017
  • Roll on in, strike up a conversation and don’t spare the cocktails.
    — Spud Hilton, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 2018
  • However, follow the lightning strike up and look above the low, flat clouds.
    — Kathryn Prociv, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2018
  • Maycock had struck up a friendship with Braddy’s wife.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
  • In Dallas, bands struck up tunes to try to cheer the glum listeners on their way home.
    — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
  • The two kept in touch over the last three years, striking up a friendship via Facebook.
    — NBC News, 23 June 2023
  • My friend struck up a conversation with a sweet French man who shared his canelés with us.
    — Hannah Howard, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2025
  • Feel free to strike up conversation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Shore struck up a friendship with the girl’s mother, Jill, and learned the ropes herself.
    — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023
  • One way is to strike up a conversation and then suggest coffee or lunch.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • As Bob worked on the van, a buddy of his struck up a conversation with us.
    — The Editors, Field & Stream, 24 Feb. 2020
  • Frank falls into a trap on Bill’s property and the two strike up an alliance.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2023

Some of 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.

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