Strike up means beginning a conversation, connection, or rapport in a natural, often spontaneous way. It is not a formal initiation — it describes something that starts organically, usually in a social or informal moment rather than through a planned process.
The idiom shows up almost exclusively with a small set of objects: a conversation, a relationship, a connection, a rapport. It doesn't extend to formal workflows or processes.
Strike up means start naturally
"I struck up a conversation with the implementation lead during the break."
This is stronger than saying you "talked to" someone — it signals the conversation began on its own, not because either person was assigned to it.
"She struck up a relationship with the customer success team before the rollout."
Here the phrase describes a connection that formed ahead of any formal need for it, which is often what makes it valuable later.
"The event made it easier to strike up conversations with potential partners."
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Start learning for free →This shows the idiom's typical setting: a conference, a networking event, a break between meetings — anywhere conversations can start without an agenda.
Where it gets misread
The main risk is applying strike up to something formal or procedural.
"We struck up the legal review."
This misuses the idiom. A legal review is a process with a defined start, not a conversation that began spontaneously. The accurate word is initiated or began.
It's also worth noting the register: strike up is conversational, and in polished business writing — an executive summary, a formal report — it can sound too casual, even when the underlying meaning (a relationship began) is accurate. In that context, began building a relationship or developed a partnership usually reads better.
Practice scenarios
Practice using strike up in situations like:
- describing how a conversation started at a networking event
- explaining how a client relationship began informally
- distinguishing a spontaneous connection from a formal process
- choosing between casual and formal register when describing the same relationship
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 the natural patterns and register around this phrase, see how to use strike up naturally, and for how it compares to the more neutral word for beginning something, see strike up vs start.
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.