Strike up, initiate, commence, and launch can all describe a start. They differ in the words they take, their tone, and their focus.
Strike up commonly starts a talk, friendship, or other relationship. It often suggests a social opening. Initiate means cause something to begin and fits both talks and formal steps. Commence is a formal word for begin. Launch often stresses a planned or public start.
Quick check
Conversation or formal investigation?
You used "Strike Up" well.
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Take the free assessment →Different claims about how something began
These words do not always work in the same places. The words around them help show the kind of start.
You can strike up a conversation or strike up a friendship. You can initiate a review, commence proceedings, or launch a program. You can also initiate a conversation, especially when the start is planned. Context matters more than a strict rule about tone.
Both words can appear in the same sentence
"Legal initiated a formal review of the vendor's compliance history" names a planned process. Struck up would not fit that object naturally.
"The two account leads launched the renegotiation with a joint kickoff call" stresses a planned start. Initiated could also work with a plainer tone.
"She struck up a conversation with the compliance lead in the elevator, and the renegotiation was formally initiated the following week" uses both patterns. The social conversation began first, followed by a formal process.
Try it yourself
Link the lobby talk to the launch
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- choosing a formal verb for a review, investigation, or negotiation
- narrating a casual conversation that later led to a formal process
- choosing between strike up and initiate for a deliberate conversation
Useful practice phrases:
- "Legal initiated a formal review of..."
- "We launched the renegotiation with..."
- "...struck up a conversation, and it was later formally initiated."
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See how Lyra Practice works →Strike up often opens social contact. The other verbs cover wider kinds of planned beginnings.
The words can overlap, so choose the one that fits the object and emphasis.