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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Recent Examples of mop-up
Crews remained on scene Monday for mop-up operations.
—
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Veteran big man Charles Bassey, who is nearing the end of his second 10-day contract with the Celtics, went 3-for-3 in mop-up duty.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team's national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team’s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bronny James has largely played mop-up minutes this season, his second with the Lakers, while also making trips down to their G League team during the season.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 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
Going into Saturday night, the Wildcats had allowed only one kill shot all season, the fewest in college basketball, and that came in mop-up duty in a blowout win over Norfolk State in November.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
But Blackburn battled multiple injuries with the Mets, and his stats with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club.
—Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Veteran big man Charles Bassey, who is nearing the end of his second 10-day contract with the Celtics, went 3-for-3 in mop-up duty.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team's national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team’s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season.
—Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bronny James has largely played mop-up minutes this season, his second with the Lakers, while also making trips down to their G League team during the season.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 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
Going into Saturday night, the Wildcats had allowed only one kill shot all season, the fewest in college basketball, and that came in mop-up duty in a blowout win over Norfolk State in November.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
But Blackburn battled multiple injuries with the Mets, and his stats with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club.
—Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
The Lakers’ Hollywood ending appears ready to dissolve like so many dreams on a casting couch with news that Luca Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) will miss the remainder of the regular season.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The couple waved to the cameras before riding off in a vintage Jaguar—the perfect ending to a gorgeous (and extremely well-publicized) day.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The amazingly rapid reconstruction project came to a conclusion in December 2024.—
David A. Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Another great example of this in action is KPMG’s new early career program focused on human qualities such as critical thinking, data analysis, and drawing conclusions rather than technical know-how.—
Teuila Hanson,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But by the end of the year, Solway was legally challenging his power over their financial affairs.—
Carol Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Travis Kelce will hold his bachelor party in the Bahamas around the end of May, according to Page Six.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
New York dropped to 7-2 while the Marlins (6-3) salvaged the finale of a three-game series.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Roberts said Betts won’t play in Sunday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals, and his availability for the series in Toronto beginning Monday won’t be determined until after the results of the MRI are known.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Credit, therefore, for how Wrexham responded, belatedly bringing a sense of urgency to their play and halving the deficit through Windass’ composed 34th-minute finish.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The concentrated, weightless formula gives full coverage with minimal product for the most natural-looking finish.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the closing speed issue raised its head dramatically at Suzuka.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
During closing arguments, the doctor’s lawyer repeatedly sought to cast doubt on Arielle Konig’s account.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The book is the culmination of 15 years studying the American education system strengths and weaknesses.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The Bruins’ win was the culmination of a decade-long build by UCLA and head coach Cori Close, who have capitalized on this era of chaos in college sports to create a potential new women’s basketball power.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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