From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstrike up phrasal verb1 strike up a friendship/relationship/conversation etcFRIENDLY to start to become friendly with someone, to start talking to them, etc I struck up a conversation with the girl sitting next to me.2 strike up (something)APM to begin playing a piece of music The band struck up a tango. → strike→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
strike up• Alone and friendless, she had struck up a casual friendship with Dermot as he showed her Dublin.• Others prefer to strike up a conversation with table mates.• Peggy and James strike up a friendship.• The orchestra struck up a polonaise, the lights strung on trees glistened in the garden, the tables groaned with food.• I recalled he had struck up an intimate conversation with her in the lobby after breakfast.• Demonstrators will attempt to surround the police, strike up conversations and present them with letters.• Shy but cordial friendships were struck up, which Mrs Thomlinson was powerless to prevent or subvert.strike up a friendship/relationship/conversation etc• Eleanor wrote back wittily and they struck up a friendship.• Peggy and James strike up a friendship.• Demonstrators will attempt to surround the police, strike up conversations and present them with letters.• He struck up a conversation, first asking his name.• He and Matthew struck up a friendship - they had something in common; their attitude to life.• Besides, Anna had struck up a conversation with a young girl who'd been swimming in the pool.• At that time Worsley, who is married to Moody, had also struck up a friendship with Nance.• Others prefer to strike up a conversation with table mates.strike up (something)• Alone and friendless, she had struck up a casual friendship with Dermot as he showed her Dublin.• Others prefer to strike up a conversation with table mates.• Peggy and James strike up a friendship.• The orchestra struck up a polonaise, the lights strung on trees glistened in the garden, the tables groaned with food.• Particularly with the Liberals, who struck up a sort of Bucharest-Ettrick Bridge accord.• I recalled he had struck up an intimate conversation with her in the lobby after breakfast.• Demonstrators will attempt to surround the police, strike up conversations and present them with letters.• Shy but cordial friendships were struck up, which Mrs Thomlinson was powerless to prevent or subvert. 