mop

noun \ ˈmäp \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of mop

1 : an implement made of absorbent material fastened to a handle and used especially for cleaning floors

2 : something that resembles a mop; especially : a thick mass of hair

See mop defined for English-language learners

See mop defined for kids

Recent Examples of mop from the Web

Although his arrival came with much excitement, Barnett spent his first season backing up Wilkins, attempting only five passes in mop-up duty.

— doug haller, azcentral, "Behind starter Manny Wilkins, there's some intrigue at the ASU QB position," 20 Mar. 2018
Instantly recognizable for his mop of hair and crooked teeth, Dodd came up through the ranks of Britain's variety circuit, where performers kept demanding crowds entertained with some songs, a bit of dance and a slew of jokes.

— Fox News, "Ken Dodd, veteran British comic, dead at 90," 12 Mar. 2018
Lincecum can do that, but the Rangers don't envision using him as a mop-up guy.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Here's what Andrus, Young, Lincecum remember about 2010 World Series | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 7 Mar. 2018
His cortege of matte-camouflage BMWs roared up the mountainside, past women swabbing their fences with mops and dump trucks (a reported 800 in total) hauling snow to the summit.

— andrew roth, Washington Post, "Chechnya opens ski resort in effort to put bad times behind it, but severe crackdown continues," 28 Jan. 2018
Steam mops are great for tile floors, but be cautious with them on wood floors.

— debbie carlson, chicagotribune.com, "5 pro tips for speeding up spring cleaning," 20 Mar. 2018
His mother, Tiffany Palmer of Kansas City, North, stands nearby gazing at her baby boy, just 2 months old but with a mop of brown hair fashioned into a mohawk.

— cynthia billhartz gregorian, kansascity, "Baby Jack is beating the odds; KC family holds out hope as he awaits new heart, lungs | The Kansas City Star," 17 Mar. 2018
Water streams in during heavy rains, and Martinez is constantly pushing water out of the home with a mop.

— rick jervis, USA TODAY, "'This city has been ignored': Yabucoa, ground zero for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, still reeling," 11 Mar. 2018
The shot shows the female worker using a mop to clear away the chalk message as a group of male security guards stand idly by.

— megan mccluskey, Time, "Oxford University Is Sorry for That Photo of a Woman Scrubbing 'International Women's Day' Away," 9 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mop

Middle English mappe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

mop

verb

Definition of mop

mopped; mopping

transitive verb

1 : to use a mop on; specifically : to clean or clear away by mopping

mop the floors

—often used with up

mop up the spillage

2 : to wipe as if with a mop

mopped his brow with a handkerchief

intransitive verb

: to clean a surface (such as a floor) with a mop

—

mopper

noun

See mop defined for English-language learners

Examples of mop in a Sentence

He mopped the sweat from his brow.

Recent Examples of mop from the Web

Every one to two months damp-mop the floor for a more thorough cleaning, using a specialty cleaner, like Good Housekeeping Seal holder Weiman Hardwood Floor Cleaner.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean and Maintain Laminate Floors," 28 Mar. 2018
Enhance rodent exclusion efforts at the park's Moyle and Gregory houses, including sealing up gaps and other routes of entry greater than ¼-inch. Replace carpeting with flooring that can be wet-mopped.

— cathie anderson, sacbee, "He caught a rare, crippling virus at a state park. His dad fears a cover-up | The Sacramento Bee," 16 Mar. 2018
Similar robotic technology is available for mopping and even window cleaning.

— emily heller, Curbed, "Spring Cleaning 101: The best vacuums, dusters, storage bins, and more," 20 Mar. 2018
Rittenhouse, meanwhile, is waiting for their spiritual leader rescued from World War I last week—Nicholas Keynes—to stop moping around, missing his phonographs and pickled eggs, and start leading.

— rachel kaufman, Smithsonian, "“Timeless” Races Back to the ’50s in ‘Darlington’," 19 Mar. 2018
Residents and the hospitality industry have gotten creative, using water from ice buckets and other non-potable sources to mop floors and adding aerators to water taps to limit water flow by literally adding air to the stream.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Cape Town Has Avoided 'Day Zero,' But Water Conservation Is Still in Effect," 15 Mar. 2018
Robinson never moped publicly and worked tirelessly to play a role with the Saints after losing his starting job after being benched in Cleveland in 2014.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "From goat to G.O.A.T., Patrick Robinson returns to Saints a changed player," 14 Mar. 2018
Floors Don't use expensive cleaners—mix 1:1 vinegar to water and mop the floor with it!

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "18 Places You Should Be Cleaning with Vinegar in Your Kitchen," 18 Jan. 2018
Though iRobot offers a variety of robots that do everything from clean your gutters to mop your floor, the bulk of its revenue still comes from its Roomba robotic vacuums.

— the motley fool, Houston Chronicle, "The Motley Fool: The Nasdaq and the NYSE," 9 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of mop

1709

MOP Defined for English Language Learners

mop

noun

Definition of mop for English Language Learners

: a tool for cleaning floors that has a bundle of cloth or yarn or a sponge attached to a long handle
: a large amount of tangled or untidy hair on a person's head