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

mopped up their rivals

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

I'm almost done with the project. I just need a little time to mop up.

Synonyms of mop-up

Noun

• ending
• conclusion
• end
• finale
• finish
• closing
• culmination

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

Strand's stats — 8 of 15 for 59 yards with an interception and a lost fumble — were compiled during mop-up time against Panthers second-stringers with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and other starters on the Falcons sideline. — CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Rea has largely been in mop-up duty since moving out of the rotation. — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Verb

Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic were always on hand to mop up advances into the Leeds half. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

According to a Facebook post by CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit, fire crews are continuing to work on mop up and patrol around the fire. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for mop-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup