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

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

Synonyms

Noun

• capper
• close
• closing
• conclusion
• consummation
• end
• endgame
• ending
• finale
• finis
• finish
• grand finale
• homestretch
• windup
• wrap-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

Noun

In for what proved to be only 2:07 of mop-up duty in Indiana’s rout, Johnson received a technical foul with 57.3 seconds to play amid an altercation and was ejected. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025

Firefighters remain on scene to address any new hot spots and will continue mop-up and patrol operations to ensure the area is secure. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 June 2025

Verb

Crews will remain on scene overnight to mop up and strengthen containment lines. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025

Fire crews continued to battle the fire through the night, working on containment lines and mop up, CalFire said in a Thursday morning update. —Jason Green, Mercury News, 11 June 2025

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