mop-up

noun

ˈmäp-ˌəp How to pronounce mop-up (audio)
Definition of mop-upnext
as in ending
the last part of a process or action the general announced that the remaining fighting would be only a mop-up to a war that was all but over

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mop-up 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 Crews remained on the scene for several more hours to complete mop-up, authorities said. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 20 July 2026 Crews remained at the scene Friday night searching for hot spots and completing mop-up operations. — Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for mop-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
  1. ending
  2. conclusion
  3. end
  4. finale
  5. finish
  6. closing
  7. culmination
Noun
  • This script justifies that lame happy ending with a clever idea about the radiation sickness that results from suffering a blast of the creature’s atomic breath.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Club Kid takes some surprising turns on the way to its delicately shaded ending.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of ending
Noun
  • That requires testing whether signals have predictive value, examining them together and avoiding automatic conclusions about individual behaviors.
    — Artem Lalaiants, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Laster also suggested that the company’s financial advisors had data disputing our conclusions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of conclusion
Noun
  • The nation's clocks went back an hour Sunday as daylight saving time came to an end.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • His decision to pick Vance opened up a special election in Ohio that will by the end of this week cost the GOP hundreds of millions of dollars and potentially a Senate seat.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of end
Noun
  • Former Sounders midfielder Nico Lodeiro holds the record for a regular-season finale, scoring in 24 seconds for Seattle in 2022.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Liufau is slated to make his season debut on Sunday against the Colts after fracturing his forearm in the team’s preseason finale.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of finale
Noun
  • Kipruto won the men’s race in the event’s closest-ever finish while wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Mercedes’ sponsorship revenue gains were offset by lower payouts from the team’s fourth-place finish in the 2024 constructor standings.
    — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of finish
Noun
  • The closing lines about Cuervo Gold and the fine Colombian are the song’s most famous, for good reason.
    — Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres, a fellow Democrat who started her campaign to unseat Gomez long before the ethics inquiry, said the controversy surrounding the congressman became an important factor for voters in the closing stretch.
    — Anna Liss-Roy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of closing
Noun
  • In Wisconsin, Crowley, a moderate Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Tom Tiffany in the culmination of a governor's race that played out in one of the country's most purple states.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Spencer characterized the Stevens-Rogers appearance as the culmination of an increasingly personal dispute rather than a substantive disagreement over policy.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of culmination

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mops
mop-up
mop-ups
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Cite this Entry

“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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