How to Use mop-up in a Sentence

mop-up

1 of 2 noun
  • Joe Milton went in there, mop-up duty, played well.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
  • And think of this as almost just a mop-up operation.
    — NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • Rea has largely been in mop-up duty since moving out of the rotation.
    — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • 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
  • Fire crews were ordered to roll up their hoses, despite complaints that a more thorough mop-up was needed.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Simpson, meanwhile, only really got a mop-up duty sort of role based on how the game flowed.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Lovelady made six appearances for the Mets this season in mop-up roles.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • No injuries were reported, but fire crews were expected to remain at the scene through the evening for mop-up work.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 16 May 2026
  • That effectively left it as a fourth quarter of nothing by mop-up time, with both benches emptied.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Most of the crews have been released, and some firefighters will remain at the scene for mop-up operations.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Crews remained on the scene for several more hours to complete mop-up, authorities said.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 20 July 2026
  • The veteran Brubaker had been working as a long/mop-up man in the Yankees’ bullpen.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Crews remained on scene Monday for mop-up operations.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Crews continued mop-up operations as the fire was burning near homes in the neighborhood.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Fire planners said Friday that mop-up operations are continuing, along with a search for more hot spots.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
  • Crews remained at the scene Friday night searching for hot spots and completing mop-up operations.
    — Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026
  • Kyle Hurt and Jake Eder pitched in mop-up duty in the latter innings and each threw a scoreless inning.
    — Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Two days later, Jacob was called into a 6-2 game in the eighth inning for what was seemingly mop-up duty.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Crews continue mop-up work, improving containment lines and assessments of hazard trees in the area, Backe said.
    — Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 20 May 2026
  • 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
  • Firefighters remained on scene overnight and continued mop-up efforts on Tuesday morning.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 14 May 2026
  • More than a year after the Palisades fire, the public has yet to hear directly from firefighters about their mop-up of the Lachman fire.
    — Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Firefighters knocked down several new blazes Friday, and officials warned crews not to grow complacent during mop-up.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Gardner said the department has since developed a post-fire policy and mop-up procedures after the Mountain fire.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Fire crews were also actively engaged in mop-up efforts, searching for any remaining hotspots or burning materials along the perimeter of the fire.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • McKee, 25, has taken limited snaps in mop-up duty in three blowout victories this season.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Throughout the season during mop-up work and in practice situations, Milton has felt confident in his abilities.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Vitello said that Tidwell, who threw 47 pitches in mop-up duty Tuesday, would be stretched out in a starting role at Sacramento.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Drivers were encouraged to seek alternate routes as the mop-up and investigation continued on Sunday.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
  • At that point, Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was running the mop-up operation, had walked three laps around the perimeter of the fire.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

mop up

2 of 2 verb
  • None of this mopped up the air.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Don't let this deal get mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 May 2026
  • Get one before this deal is mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
  • Get it before this deal gets mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
  • Get this deal before it gets mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Get one before this deal gets mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Sweep this deal your way before it gets mopped up!
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Just be sure to pair with plenty of napkins to mop up that sauce.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2023
  • Serve with plenty of brown bread to mop up all that luscious sauce.
    — Saveur Editors, Saveur, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Don't skip the crusty bread for mopping up every last bit.
    — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Maybe the plan was to allow two of them to mop up in the fourth quarter.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Warm bread arrives, ready to mop up za’atar olive oil and smoky hummus.
    — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Then make sure to serve this with some bread for mopping up the complex, caramelized pan sauce.
    — Melissa Clark, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Serve with crusty bread to mop up all of the flavorful leftover soup.
    — Phoebe Evans, Southern Living, 31 July 2024
  • Making progress with handline and mop up where able.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Its wet roller head can mop up wet spills like ketchup and milk, as well as remove dust and stains from hard floors.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 23 May 2023
  • Fire crews are remaining on the scene to mop up and control any hot spots, the tweets said.
    — Meghan Bobrowsky, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 May 2021
  • Some weeks dusting was the hot item, other times the littles would sweep and mop up a storm.
    — Martin Cizmar, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2023
  • The bottom slice can be used at the end to mop up all the remaining sauce and scraps of meat.
    — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024
  • Staff members used towels and plastic bins to try to mop up the sodden mess.
    — Curt Anderson, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Sep. 2022
  • Crews remained on scene overnight to mop up hotspots and ensure high winds didn’t rekindle the flames.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
  • And when the shots weren’t falling, Boise State mopped up its misses.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Crews will remain on scene overnight to mop up and strengthen containment lines.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025
  • A slip of the tongue could undo a lot of hard work or leave you with emotional messes to mop up.
    — The Astrotwins, ELLE, 13 Nov. 2022
  • Suffice to say that, in its wake, some viewers will have to be mopped up from the floor of the cinema.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
  • One person’s entire job for the day is mopping up the floors; errant slicks of sweat could cause a slip.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Right-hander Jordan Romano came in to mop up in the eighth.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
  • To complete the meal, serve with a simple leafy salad and, of course, crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
    — Christopher Kimball, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Dec. 2023
  • It’s designed for hardwood floors and tile to mop up any spills and vacuum away debris.
    — Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Firefighters have downgraded updates on the fire, and are in the process of mop up.
    — The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mop-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: