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

Emanuel appeared in 10 of 11 games this season, either because of injury to the starter or in a mop-up role late in victories. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025

The newspaper cited other text messages as saying that firefighters were complaining that commanders failed to make sure the mop-up duty at the site was complete. —Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Verb

And when their shots weren’t landing, 7-foot-2 Swedish center Will Berg had been on hand to mop up and kick the ball back out. —Idaho Statesman, 19 Nov. 2025

Fire crews were on the scene Wednesday morning to mop up the fire, which means ensuring there are no more smoldering pieces in the area, according to Barker. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Nov. 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