"Strike Up" in a Sentence: 10 Examples

Strike up describes the start of a social connection, such as a conversation, friendship, work connection, or partnership. The start may be planned or by chance, and the topic may be light or serious. These ten examples show that range.

A single conversation

"I struck up a conversation with the operations lead while we were waiting for the session to start."

"She strikes up conversations easily -- by the end of any conference, she knows half the room."

A relationship or friendship beginning

"He struck up a friendship with a colleague from a different office during the onboarding week."

"We struck up a mentoring relationship after she asked a sharp question during my talk."

Both sentences show how the bond began, not how long it has lasted. Do not say "we have struck up the relationship for five years," because that use treats a one-time start as long-term upkeep.

A partnership or collaboration beginning organically

"The two teams struck up a working relationship after a chance conversation at the all-hands offsite."

"The vendor relationship started small -- we struck up a partnership after a conversation at a trade show, long before either side signed anything."

Deliberate, not accidental

"The new manager makes a point of striking up conversations with every new hire in their first week."

The habit is planned, but each opening is still social rather than a formal process, so strike up fits here.

A serious topic, not a light one

"I struck up a conversation about the layoffs with a teammate who'd been quiet all week -- it felt important to check in directly."

The passive form, used sparingly

"A conversation was struck up between the two department heads before either side had a formal reason to talk."

What it isn't: a formal beginning

"We negotiated the vendor contract over six months" -- not "we struck up the vendor contract." Because a contract starts through a formal process, strike up does not fit.

Practice scenarios

Practice using strike up in situations like:

• describing a conversation that began at a conference, on a flight, or during onboarding
• narrating the organic beginning of a partnership before it was formalized
• correcting a sentence that uses the irregular past tense wrong

Useful practice phrases:

• "I struck up a conversation with [someone] while [context]."
• "We struck up a [relationship/partnership] after [how it began]."
• "Not 'we striked up' -- the correct past tense is 'struck up.'"

All ten sentences share one idea: a social opening, not a formal start. Chance or intent does not change the fit, and neither does a light or difficult topic.

The object does change the fit: a conversation, friendship, or partnership can be struck up, but contracts and lawsuits are not.

Lyra Practice helps advanced non-native English professionals learn the nuance of high-value workplace expressions and practice using them in realistic scenarios, so their English sounds natural, precise, and senior at work. Try Lyra Practice.