Strike up means starting or causing something to begin. At work, it often appears with conversation, friendship, or relationship. The phrase can suggest an easy social start, but it does not guarantee one. A planned introduction can also help someone strike up a conversation.
The phrase also has a musical sense, as in strike up the band. For workplace relationships, its common objects matter more than a strict formal-versus-informal rule.
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Take the free assessment →Strike up begins certain social or musical activities
"I struck up a conversation with the implementation lead during the break."
This tells us that the speaker began the conversation. It does not say whether the conversation was planned or spontaneous.
"She struck up a relationship with the customer success team before the rollout."
Here, the phrase describes the start of an ongoing work relationship. The sentence does not claim that the relationship was unplanned.
"The event made it easier to strike up conversations with potential partners."
Events and meeting breaks often create chances to use the phrase. The event itself may be planned even when each conversation is not.
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Use the meaning in a new setting
Where it gets misread
The main risk is pairing strike up with an object that sounds unnatural.
"We struck up the legal review."
This pairing is not idiomatic. A legal review is a formal process, so began or initiated fits better.
Strike up is common in conversation and narrative writing. In a formal report, a more exact phrase may fit better. Depending on the facts, use began building a relationship or developed a partnership.
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- describing how a conversation started at a networking event
- explaining how a client relationship began
- distinguishing a natural collocation from an unnatural process phrase
- choosing between conversational and more formal wording
Useful practice phrases:
- "I struck up a conversation with... during/after..."
- "She struck up a relationship with... before..."
- "The event made it easy to strike up..."
For more on common patterns and tone, see how to use strike up naturally. For a comparison with a neutral verb, see strike up vs start.
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