mop-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈmäp-ˌəp 

often attributive

: a concluding action or phase

mop up

2 of 2

verb

mopped up; mopping up; mops up

transitive verb

1

British : to consume eagerly

2

: to gather as if by absorbing

also : garner

mopped up all the awards

3

: to overcome decisively : trounce

4

: to clear (an area) of remaining pockets of resistance in the wake of a military offensive

intransitive verb

: to complete a project, transaction, or task

Synonyms

Noun

• capper
• close
• closing
• conclusion
• consummation
• end
• endgame
• ending
• finale
• finis
• finish
• grand finale
• homestretch
• windup
• wrap-up

Examples of mop-up in a Sentence

Noun

the general announced that the remaining fighting would be only a mop-up to a war that was all but over

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wade Miley, who was signed to step into Greene’s spot in the rotation, gave up four runs in the last two innings of mop-up duty. —C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 4 June 2025

Crews will focus on suppression repair, addressing areas damaged by the fire, as well as mop-up operations. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2025

Verb

Cal Fire status update Situation Summary Baxter Fire remains staffed and mop up efforts continue. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025

Doctors will likely give him a drug that stops his testes from making testosterone, which fuels the cancer, plus another drug that mops up any testosterone in his bloodstream. —Adam B. Kushner, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for mop-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup