These two test different moments in the same scene, and confusing them misreports whether a conversation had already started.
"Strike up" means a new interaction is beginning. "Bring up" or "raise (a topic)" means a subject is being introduced inside an interaction that is already underway. Confusing the two misreports whether a conversation had already started.
The opening move vs. what gets said inside it
Striking up a conversation is the opening move — before it, the two people weren't talking. Bringing up or raising a topic can happen at any point inside a conversation, meeting, or ongoing relationship that's already in progress, including one that started an hour, a day, or a year earlier.
A learner who writes that a topic was "struck up" during an existing meeting has misdescribed a meeting that was already underway as a fresh beginning.
Three moments, correctly marked
"She struck up a conversation with the finance lead at the mixer, and pricing came up almost immediately" — a new interaction beginning.
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Lyra Practice teaches advanced non-native professionals the nuance of high-value expressions like this one, then has you practice using them in realistic work scenarios.
Start learning for free →"He raised the pricing concern again in the Tuesday standup" — a topic introduced inside a meeting that was already scheduled and running.
"I brought up the delay during our regular one-on-one" — a topic surfaced inside an existing, ongoing relationship, not a new interaction beginning.
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- describing a new conversation beginning, before any topic is named
- raising a topic during a meeting that has been running for a while
- surfacing a concern inside an existing, ongoing working relationship
Useful practice phrases:
- "I struck up a conversation with... and [topic] came up immediately."
- "He raised the concern again in..."
- "I brought up the issue during our regular..."
Strike up answers whether a conversation started at all. Bring up and raise answer what got said once it did.
Getting the two backwards makes an ongoing meeting sound like a first encounter.
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.