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
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team's national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team’s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bronny James has largely played mop-up minutes this season, his second with the Lakers, while also making trips down to their G League team during the season.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
That effectively left it as a fourth quarter of nothing by mop-up time, with both benches emptied.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2026
Going into Saturday night, the Wildcats had allowed only one kill shot all season, the fewest in college basketball, and that came in mop-up duty in a blowout win over Norfolk State in November.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
But Blackburn battled multiple injuries with the Mets, and his stats with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club.
—Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
At that point, Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was running the mop-up operation, had walked three laps around the perimeter of the fire.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Before the land was purchased by state parks, the Sempervirens Fund had to complete a laundry list of fire mop-up and forestry work as well as ensure that pollution from the junk yard was gone.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb. 2026
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team’s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bronny James has largely played mop-up minutes this season, his second with the Lakers, while also making trips down to their G League team during the season.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
That effectively left it as a fourth quarter of nothing by mop-up time, with both benches emptied.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2026
Going into Saturday night, the Wildcats had allowed only one kill shot all season, the fewest in college basketball, and that came in mop-up duty in a blowout win over Norfolk State in November.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
But Blackburn battled multiple injuries with the Mets, and his stats with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club.
—Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
At that point, Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was running the mop-up operation, had walked three laps around the perimeter of the fire.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Before the land was purchased by state parks, the Sempervirens Fund had to complete a laundry list of fire mop-up and forestry work as well as ensure that pollution from the junk yard was gone.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and his staff felt Shota Imanaga’s preparation in Arizona provided the perfect platform to bounce back from a rocky ending to 2025.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
After the story ran, the Department of Transportation sent a crew uptown and patched it, plus a few more nearby, giving our story a happy ending and providing an unusually stark example of what simple accountability journalism can achieve.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In forensic anthropology, this conclusion typically follows analysis of bone condition, degradation and other physical markers that help specialists estimate how long remains have been interred or stored.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Again, there were hints in the data but no definitive conclusions.—
Mariangela Lisanti,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which administers the Medicaid expansion, would be tasked with conducting the review of all of its recipients by the end of the year.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
-
With no apparent end to the Iran war in sight, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan predicts a gallon of gas will keep rising.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The teams meet Sunday in the series finale.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Joey Wiemer jumped on a 2-1 splitter below the zone for a three-run blast that put a quick damper on Imanaga’s strong spring finale.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then Charlotte stretched its legs and cruised to the finish.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Logan Paul and Austin Theory of The Vision defeated The Usos in a street fight to capture the titles, with the finish coming after a sequence involving internet personality IShowSpeed, brass knuckles, and an accidental shot on LA Knight.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some schools in Minnesota have already announced closings or shifts to virtual learning on Thursday as another round of winter weather threatens parts of the state.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
That Final Smile The closing image is everything.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The bill’s passage was the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far right to escalate punishment against Palestinians convicted of attacking Israelis.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Masao is the culmination of owner Nick Hanke's 20 years of training under a master sushi chef, chef Phil Shires' desire to end his cooking career with a bang, and a whole lot of love.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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