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
Firefighters will remain on-scene overnight working on mop-up in heavy fuel loading.
—
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The previous season, Blaine Gabbert appeared in two games, one in a mop-up role and the other with the Week 18 reserves.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2025
Resources will remain on scene for an extended amount of time for heavy mop-up.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacramento Bee, 13 Mar. 2025
And the righty had to be saved by Robert Suarez during what had been a mop-up win in Kansas City.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The previous season, Blaine Gabbert appeared in two games, one in a mop-up role and the other with the Week 18 reserves.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2025
Resources will remain on scene for an extended amount of time for heavy mop-up.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacramento Bee, 13 Mar. 2025
And the righty had to be saved by Robert Suarez during what had been a mop-up win in Kansas City.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
Season 3 left off in a dire place — in a shocking twist ending, Ava betrayed Deborah after the comedian had stabbed her in the back by naming someone else as the head writer of her new late-night show.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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So the ending of the record is getting up onto the top of the moors and screaming at the sky—and off and into the clouds, and then we’re gone.—
Meaghan Garvey,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The new agreement will come at the conclusion of the previous 12-year deal agreed to by both parties, which was signed in 2013 for $5.2 billion Canadian.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Other risk assessments by the center have been posted by the CDC even though their conclusions might seem obvious.—
Patricia Callahan,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
As the dad is wheeled away for treatment, their son is taken to wait in the employee break room until the end of his mom’s shift.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Gonzalez, 43, learned of his brother’s diagnosis and came to the United States at the end of 2023.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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By the time of the show’s finale on Valentine’s Day, the finale audience grew 27% over the December premiere with a tally of 2.68M global viewers on Paramount+ with Showtime, Campione noted on February 20.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 finale airs Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m.—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Each artist has reimagined the teapot’s distinctive elements such as the spout and handle by playing with scale and proportions, and experimenting with different glazes, finishes and textures, even when working with traditional mediums like porcelain and ceramic.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Drain the potatoes well and spread on a tray lined with paper towels to cool and finish draining.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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He’s finished top-20 in all five starts this year including T10 at The Players Championship and 2nd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational after holding the 54-hole lead and leading into the closing holes.—
Jay Ginsbach,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Many lives will be changed by the closing, but perhaps none as much as Lorraine Willow’s.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The 4,000-square-foot unit at 425 Broome Street is the culmination of a series of pop-ups that the brand has opened around the world over the past six years.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
8 Apr. 2025
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Trump’s tariffs are the culmination of a decades-long shift in political perceptions in the United States, in which trade has gone from an unalloyed good to the source of all ills.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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