mop-up

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
: a concluding action or phase

mop up

2 of 2

verb

mopped up; mopping up; mops up

transitive verb

1
British : to consume eagerly
2
: to gather as if by absorbing
also : garner
mopped up all the awards
3
: to overcome decisively : trounce
4
: to clear (an area) of remaining pockets of resistance in the wake of a military offensive

intransitive verb

: to complete a project, transaction, or task

Examples of mop-up in a Sentence

Noun the general announced that the remaining fighting would be only a mop-up to a war that was all but over
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
The Mets’ two wins came in Game 2, a bullpen game for the Dodgers, and Game 5, when mop-up man Brent Honeywell Jr. threw four innings after Jack Flaherty was tattooed for eight runs. Jerry Beach, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 After gaining just 25 yards on its first three drives under two-year starter Ashton Daniels, Stanford coach Troy Taylor switched to freshman Elijah Brown, whose only previous experience was in mop-up duty against Cal Poly. Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
Verb
Rocket Science is mopping up international sales on the project, which Studiocanal will release in multiple territories. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 Firefighters were planning to continue reinforcing control lines and containment and mopping up the fire’s interior, CalFire added. Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mop-up 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mop-up was circa 1811

Dictionary Entries Near mop-up

Cite this Entry

“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mop-up. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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