as in ending
the last part of a process or action
the general announced that the remaining fighting would be only a mop-up to a war that was all but over
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Recent Examples of mop-up
And the righty had to be saved by Robert Suarez during what had been a mop-up win in Kansas City.
—
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
The wing out of Cal has received only mop-up duty to this stage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Walker, less than halfway through a four-year, $72 million deal, will be an expensive mop-up man in September.
—Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
The Mets’ two wins came in Game 2, a bullpen game for the Dodgers, and Game 5, when mop-up man Brent Honeywell Jr. threw four innings after Jack Flaherty was tattooed for eight runs.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
The wing out of Cal has received only mop-up duty to this stage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Walker, less than halfway through a four-year, $72 million deal, will be an expensive mop-up man in September.
—Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
The Mets’ two wins came in Game 2, a bullpen game for the Dodgers, and Game 5, when mop-up man Brent Honeywell Jr. threw four innings after Jack Flaherty was tattooed for eight runs.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
There could be sudden news or an ending around health or employment matters, too.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
9 Mar. 2025
-
But the premature ending of this test flight means those objectives must wait.—
Stephen Clark,
Ars Technica,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Early on, Clement telegraphs his conclusion in his discussion of what Rule 48(a) does and doesn't permit a judge to do.—
Michael Rothfeld,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
This isn’t the first time that fans have jumped to the conclusion that Affleck was trying to woo his ex-wife.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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To that end, the Tokyo itinerary includes exhibitions against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants, an event hosted by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and a welcome party organized by Imanaga and Suzuki.—
Patrick Mooney,
The Athletic,
11 Mar. 2025
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No charges were filed against him at the end of the Internal Affairs investigation, but Sheriff Gregory Tony dismissed him after 23 years on the force.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This post contains spoilers from the March 7 season 3 finale of The Way Home.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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So many loose threads with Colton were tied up in this finale.—
Megan Vick,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Essence, adding the Sublime Perfection Foundation and the Blurring Under-Eye Powder for a luminous finish.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2025
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The most surprising finish of the night took place in the men’s 3,000 meters.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Oracle, which is set to report earnings after the closing bell, has now seen its stock fall more than 10% this year.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Lage outlined the similarities of the two works in his closing.—
Andrew Dalton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The meeting was the culmination of a monthslong battle over the fate of the charter schools, which were originally slated for closure last October.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Trump’s attacks on America’s public land management agencies are simply the culmination of a decades-long political assault on the ability of federal land managers to properly care for the land sustainably.—
TIME,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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