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
-
The ending, like most broken marriages, has gotten ugly.—
Paul Sullivan,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Portia & Jack 3 of 6 What happens to Portia and Jack in The White Lotus season 2 ending?—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In other cases, workers are drawing their own conclusions.—
Karen Hao,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Watching Jacob imprint on a horrifying CGI baby is one of the series’ worst moments, but Bella’s transition into a vampire is one of the best — and an effective cliffhanger for the saga’s epic conclusion.—
Lincee Ray,
EW.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
There’s still a lot to figure out in New Orleans once this season finally comes to an end.—
William Guillory,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The program is on track to generate $500 million in net revenue by the end of this year, as initially projected, the MTA said.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Irish return home to host Florida State, while the Wolfpack plays its home finale against Wake Forest.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Airing behind the High Potential finale on linear, the cop drama scored its best delivery among adults 18-49 (1.99 rating) in nearly five years – since 3/15/20.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Essence, adding the Sublime Perfection Foundation and the Blurring Under-Eye Powder for a luminous finish.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The most surprising finish of the night took place in the men’s 3,000 meters.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
On Wednesday evening, a small group of parents, students and CTU organizers gathered outside Rufino Tamayo Elementary in Gage Park holding signs and plastic candles to protest the potential closing of the school.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The closing scene is Trump relaxing on a sun lounger next to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is widely portrayed as a devil in Gaza.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The meeting was the culmination of a monthslong battle over the fate of the charter schools, which were originally slated for closure last October.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Trump’s attacks on America’s public land management agencies are simply the culmination of a decades-long political assault on the ability of federal land managers to properly care for the land sustainably.—
TIME,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share