This is the single most common mistake with strike up, and it goes in one direction: reaching for it when the beginning was actually formal.
No. "Strike up" is reserved for informal, socially-toned beginnings — a conversation, a friendship, a partnership. A contract, a meeting, an audit, a lawsuit, or any other formal, negotiated, or procedural beginning needs a different verb entirely.
The test isn't importance, it's how the beginning happened
The test is not whether the outcome matters — a partnership can be struck up and still matter enormously — but whether the beginning itself was informal and socially opened, or scheduled, negotiated, and procedural.
A contract is negotiated and executed. A meeting is scheduled and held. A lawsuit is filed. None of these begin through a social opening the way a conversation or a partnership can.
Three sentences to fix
"We struck up a contract with the vendor" is wrong; contracts are negotiated. "We negotiated a contract with the vendor" is the precise sentence.
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Start learning for free →"They struck up a lawsuit" is wrong; lawsuits are filed. "They filed a lawsuit" is the precise sentence.
"We struck up the vendor audit after procurement flagged the invoice discrepancy" is wrong; audits are conducted, not struck up. "We opened the vendor audit after procurement flagged the invoice discrepancy" is the precise sentence.
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- describing a contract or agreement being negotiated with a vendor
- narrating a meeting, review, or audit being scheduled and held
- describing a lawsuit or formal complaint being filed
Useful practice phrases:
- "We negotiated a contract with..."
- "They filed a lawsuit against..."
- "We opened the audit after..."
A contract has a start date. A conversation has a spark.
Strike up only ever describes the spark.
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.