Strike up describes an informal social beginning. You can strike up a conversation, friendship, or relationship. The phrase focuses on how contact began, not on a formal agreement or final result. It fits a coffee-break talk with a speaker, but not the signing of a contract.
The grammar pattern: irregular past tense, fixed word order
The past tense is irregular: strike becomes struck, not striked.
"We struck up a great conversation while waiting for the panel to start."
Put the object right after up. Unlike some phrasal verbs, this one does not split:
"She struck up a conversation with the keynote speaker about the new regulation." (correct)
Do not say "she struck a conversation up with the keynote speaker." If you name a person and a topic, use with [someone] about [something].
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A conversation is the most common use:
"I struck up a conversation with someone on the flight, and it turned out she'd worked at the same company years ago."
A friendship can also begin this way. The phrase does not cover its later growth:
"He struck up a friendship with a colleague from a different office during a cross-team project."
The phrase can also describe a partnership that began through informal contact:
"The two startups struck up a partnership after meeting at the same industry conference two years running."
Two myths to avoid
"It has to be by chance." Strike up does not require an accident. A manager may choose to approach every new hire. That manager still strikes up each conversation: "She makes a point of striking up conversations with every new hire in their first week."
"It has to be pleasant." The phrase describes the social opening, not its mood or result. "I struck up a conversation about the layoffs" is valid. A serious topic does not make the phrase wrong.
Do not use it for a formal or procedural act. You negotiate a contract, hold a scheduled meeting, and file a lawsuit. Also watch the past tense. Say we struck up, not "we striked up." This distinction helps professional readers understand the event.
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- describing how a conversation began with someone new at a conference or event
- narrating how a working relationship or partnership started organically
- catching yourself before applying strike up to a formal, negotiated process
Useful practice phrases:
- "I struck up a conversation with [someone] about [topic]."
- "We struck up a [friendship/partnership] after [how it began]."
- "She makes a point of striking up conversations with [group]."
Strike up describes a beginning, not an outcome. The contact need not go well or happen by chance. It only needs an informal social opening.
Use the right past tense and word order. Then check that the beginning was social, not formal.
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