mop-up

1 of 2

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
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
Verb
Firefighters remained on scene as of 4:20 p.m. Sunday to mop up any remaining hot spots, but Lutze said the flames were fully under control. Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025 The new fire danger warnings came even as firefighters continue to mop up from a series of brush fires that erupted on Saturday in New York's Long Island. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mop-up

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mop-up was circa 1811

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mop-up. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!