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

Right-hander Cole Winn was effective in mop-up duty in the seventh, but after the bottom of the Mets’ order produced two more runs in the top of the eighth, Texas decided to save its bullpen. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024

Starters, openers, relievers, closers, bulk and mop-up guys must all add up to that big number. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024

Verb

Crews are working to mop up hot spots to ensure 100% containment. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 18 June 2024

Nigeria needs to tighten its borders and develop a better system for mopping up illicit weapons. —Udo Jude Ilo, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1