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
Brown, a rare Black lawyer in late 1950s San Francisco, struck up an early friendship with Mays.
—
George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2024
The pair strike up an unlikely and bittersweet friendship that teeters, achingly, on the brink of romantic.
—Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
Adams said the threat of thunderstorms wasn’t quite over, because lightning can strike up to 15 miles from the base of a storm.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
The same goes for everyone working the house: There’s a vampire in the projection booth, a vampire working the lights, a vampire striking up the band, all of them in exaggerated fakey-fake vampire makeup.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for strike up 
George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2024
The pair strike up an unlikely and bittersweet friendship that teeters, achingly, on the brink of romantic.
—Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 15 June 2024
Adams said the threat of thunderstorms wasn’t quite over, because lightning can strike up to 15 miles from the base of a storm.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
The same goes for everyone working the house: There’s a vampire in the projection booth, a vampire working the lights, a vampire striking up the band, all of them in exaggerated fakey-fake vampire makeup.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for strike up
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.
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 7 Jul. 2024.
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