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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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
  • Related Stories Below, Variety has gathered the five biggest differences between the book and the film, from one jaw-dropping scene the movie adds to the much darker ending of the book.
    — William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That material teased Beyond’s continuation of Across the Spider-Verse’s ending.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of ending
Noun
  • But viewers had already seen Rosalía in them minutes earlier, at the conclusion of her one appearance in a comedy sketch.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The report’s main conclusion was that two years ago, the DeSantis team diverted $10 million from a Medicaid settlement for political purposes.
    — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of conclusion
Noun
  • The final scene was shot on Marina Beach at the end of a rough day, in a window of just a few hours.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of end
Noun
  • In 1991, Saint Laurent closed his fall-winter 1991 Rive Gauche runway show with a finale parade rendered almost entirely in gold fabrics.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Fans have been eager for updates about season three after the season two finale set the stage for major star arcs to advance.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of finale
Noun
  • The tiny corner kitchen has been updated with white cabinetry and a tiled backsplash, while there’s more new white finishes in the bathroom.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In fact, on red carpets around the globe, A-listers kept up the momentum all week long, choosing architectural designs with textural, high-impact finishes.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of finish
Noun
  • Chief Justice John Roberts gave the Federal Communications Commission a temporary win on Thursday in its legal battle over who is entitled to favorable advertising rates in the closing weeks of the costly and hotly contested midterm elections.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The closing look circled back to the same idea, but this time the same model carried the bag with a black skirt suit, the most undiluted iteration of Chanel.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of closing
Noun
  • The Swiss watchmaker and the Met marked the culmination of their inaugural artisan residency on Friday, unveiling three works that extend traditional craft into new forms of expression.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier, Sefcovic had said the talks this week were the culmination of three months of intensive work.
    — Sam McNeil, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of culmination

Browse Nearby Words

mops
mop-up
mop-ups
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All