mopped up; mopping up; mops up
1
British
: to consume eagerly
2
: to gather as if by absorbing
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
: to complete a project, transaction, or task
I'm almost done with the project. I just need a little time to mop 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
Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Joe Milton went in there, mop-up duty, played well.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
Sweep this deal your way before it gets mopped up!
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mop-up
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.
Noun
While both of them were mop-up appearances to save the bullpen, the team saw some things to be excited about.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Joe Milton went in there, mop-up duty, played well.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Camilo Pardo, under the direction of J Mays, designed the GT40 to pay homage to Ford’s original GT40 that mopped up Ferrari and swept Le Mans in 1966, followed by consecutive victories from 1967 to 1969.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
Sweep this deal your way before it gets mopped up!
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mop-up
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mop-up. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share