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
The five courses are available online for free and are prerequisites to obtaining a Firefighter Type II certificate, which is given to entry-level wildland firefighters who are responsible for fire suppression, fuels management and mop-up operations.
—
Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
Lovelady made six appearances for the Mets this season in mop-up roles.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
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
Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
Lovelady made six appearances for the Mets this season in mop-up roles.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
As in the less conclusive first season, it feels engineered to deliver the characters to happy, or relatively happy, endings, and to send viewers out not regretting their investment of time.—
Robert Lloyd,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
-
There are twists and turns aplenty, and a satisfying ending.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From a business and customer perspective, that conclusion is alarming.—
Chris Cate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
At the conclusion of the trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a verdict.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Heat trimmed the deficit to 123-120 to play on a driving basket by Mitchell, only to see Ball score on the other end to make it 125-120 with 26 seconds to play.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Breakers Resort charges on the low end $1,000 a night.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The series finale has been set for May 3.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Before her show, the finale of her two-night stint in the city, the Grammy winner filmed what appeared to be an encounter with State Farm Arena staff on Instagram Live.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, off to the great unknown of an offseason that seemingly will beg for change after a second consecutive 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
-
This V-neck camisole is our pick for a lacy, statement base layer with its endless styling potential and dainty, feminine finish.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
School closings There are several school closings in Washtenaw and Wayne counties for Wednesday, including Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Ball, the Hornets’ star, gave the Hornets the lead for good with a go-ahead layup in the closing seconds of overtime.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The cumulative effect of this album is one of culmination, a sense that Garrett has mastered this range of heavy sounds and can now combine them at will.—
Brad Sanders,
Pitchfork,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Notably, The Samurai and the Prisoner marks the 70-year-old Kurosawa’s first attempt at a sweeping samurai period feature — a potential late-career culmination for a director whose work has spanned more than 50 films and nearly every other major genre.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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