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
Prior to being held out of Saturday night’s victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, Jovic had fallen out of the rotation, playing only three minutes of mop-up duty in Friday night’s road victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 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
Drivers were encouraged to seek alternate routes as the mop-up and investigation continued on Sunday.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Williams has served as an understudy to both Ward and Beck the last two seasons, but the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Williams has only thrown 19 passes this season in mop-up duty.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Kuminga was the only active Warriors player not to see any action, even in mop-up duty, when Buddy Hield entered for his first playing time since Thursday in Phoenix.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Ewers, who played in one game this season, completing 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards in mop-up duty of a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, has a moxie to him that hints there might be something worthy of an investment in there.
—Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 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
Drivers were encouraged to seek alternate routes as the mop-up and investigation continued on Sunday.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Williams has served as an understudy to both Ward and Beck the last two seasons, but the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Williams has only thrown 19 passes this season in mop-up duty.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Kuminga was the only active Warriors player not to see any action, even in mop-up duty, when Buddy Hield entered for his first playing time since Thursday in Phoenix.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Ewers, who played in one game this season, completing 5 of 8 passes for 53 yards in mop-up duty of a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, has a moxie to him that hints there might be something worthy of an investment in there.
—Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
The ending of the June war between Iran and the US, with Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on a US base in Qatar, felt choreographed.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
And Harper hopes for a different ending in 2027.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers’ Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation’s elite, where Kim’s leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
In the same disclaimer, TechInsights notes that its inferences and conclusions are not final regulatory decisions.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Historically, Google searches for summer vacations peak at the end of March and beginning of April.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Queta’s work at both ends helped Boston extend its lead early in the second half.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the finale, Kayce had ridden off into the sunset.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The season six finale ended on the cliffhanger that Jamie and Claire's daughter, Faith, may not have died after childbirth and in fact may have become a mother of her own, giving birth to daughters Jane and Fanny.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With the Yankees’ long list of WBC participants expected to leave camp on March 1 — the tournament runs from March 5-17 — Judge can’t wait to don a different uniform for a little while as Team USA looks to avenge its second-place finish to Japan in 2023.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Let the other person finish, pause, and then reflect back the core in your own words, cleanly, without spin.—
Adam Dietz,
Big Think,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Interviewed before the store closing, chief executive officer Tres Lund said last year that an increase in store security expenses and decrease in customer visits had left operating costs outpacing sales.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In his closing remarks at the congress, Kim doubled down on expanding the nation’s nuclear arsenal.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beginning July 1, however, private cars now face a three-hour parking limit at Logan Pass, a popular viewpoint at the culmination of Going-to-the-Sun Road.—
Outside,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The games were originally teased at the culmination of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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