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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of mop-up
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
After gaining just 25 yards on its first three drives under two-year starter Ashton Daniels, Stanford coach Troy Taylor switched to freshman Elijah Brown, whose only previous experience was in mop-up duty against Cal Poly.
—Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
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
After gaining just 25 yards on its first three drives under two-year starter Ashton Daniels, Stanford coach Troy Taylor switched to freshman Elijah Brown, whose only previous experience was in mop-up duty against Cal Poly.
—Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
Ending birthright citizenship a campaign pledge The ending of birthright citizenship was a key piece of the Trump campaign's Agenda47 policy platform.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
21 Jan. 2025
-
After escaping a calamitous train crash in the ending of the movie, Ethan realizes The Entity is stashed aboard an old Russian submarine, but a foe from Ethan’s past named Gabriel (Esai Morales) is also on the trail.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Shorts awards are doled out five days before the conclusion of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which continues through Feb. 2 (both in person and online).—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Japan and Russia are involved in a territorial conflict over the Northern Territories, a set of islands controlled by Russia after being taken from Japan by the Soviet Union at the conclusion of World War II.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The defense loses a bunch of key veterans, but first- and second-year players such as Moore, Shuler, defensive end Bryce Young and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa are poised to take over.—
Stewart Mandel,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
-
The pump station was also at the end of its useful life and experienced corrosion due to water on the pump station walls, officials said.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the XO, Kitty Season 2 finale.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Nine of the 11 starters for the win over Utah State in the home finale either transferred out or exhausted their eligibility.—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The shiny black patent finish on this pair, for example, looks super high-class like a pair of expensive heels.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
-
The finish is refreshing and crisp, with lingering fruity notes.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In total, the report recorded 944 bank closings between January and September 30.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Defendant Brenda Andrew is led into the courtroom in Oklahoma City, Monday, July 12, 2004, following a break in the closing arguments of her murder trial.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
These closing arguments were the culmination of six years of litigation on the key question in the 9/11 case: Does torture matter in the pursuit of justice in the military commissions?—
Lisa Hajjar,
The Conversation,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The album was a culmination of years of hard work, intentional growth, and the trust SZA had built with her core fanbase.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near mop-up
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share