mop

¹ American  

[mop] / mɒp /

noun

1. a bundle of coarse yarn, a sponge, or other absorbent material, fastened at the end of a stick or handle for washing floors, dishes, etc.

2. a thick mass of hair.

3. a polishing wheel having several layers of cloth secured by a boss.

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verb (used with object)

mopped, mopping

1. to rub, wipe, clean, or remove with a mop (often followed byup ).

   to mop up a spill.

2. to wipe as if with a mop.

   to mop the face with a handkerchief.

verb (used without object)

mopped, mopping

1. to clean or wipe with or as if with a mop (often followed byup ).

   First he swept, then he mopped up.

verb phrase

1. mop up

   1. Military. to clear (ground, trenches, towns, etc.) of scattered or remaining enemy combatants after attacking forces have conquered the area.

   2. Informal. to dispose of; complete; finish.

      He mopped up the rest of his business and went on a vacation.

idioms

1. mop the floor with. floor.

mop ² American  

[mop] / mɒp /

verb (used without object)

mopped, mopping

1. to make a disappointed or unhappy face; grimace.

   an unruly child that mops and mows.

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noun

1. a wry face; grimace.

mop ¹ British  

/ mɒp /

noun

1. an implement with a wooden handle and a head made of twists of cotton or a piece of synthetic sponge, used for polishing or washing floors, or washing dishes

2. something resembling this, such as a tangle of hair

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verb

1. to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop

mop ² British  

/ mɒp /

verb

1. (intr) to make a grimace or sad expression (esp in the phrase mop and mow )

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noun

1. such a face or expression

mop ³ British  

/ mɒp /

noun

1. (in various parts of England) an annual fair at which formerly servants were hired

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Etymology

Origin of mop¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; earlier map, late Middle English mappe, shortening f mappel, from Medieval Latin mappula, mappa “handtowel, cloth,” equivalent to Latin mapp(a) “napkin” + -ula -ule

Origin of mop²

First recorded in 1450–1500 for the noun, and in 1560–70 for the verb; perhaps akin to Dutch moppen “to mutter, pout”

Explanation

A mop is a tool for cleaning a floor. Most mops have a long handle and a sponge or bundle of absorbent strings on one end. If someone says that your hair looks like a mop, that's not a compliment. When you use a mop, you mop the floor. Mops can be used dry, but more often they're dunked in a soapy bucket of water before they mop the floor. You can also "mop up" a mess or a spill, even if you're using a cloth, a sponge, or a paper towel instead of a mop. The earliest mops were used to clean ships' decks, and the word comes from the Latin mappa, "napkin."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mop mopped mopping

The Spaniard was wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm, and the skin fade of earlier in the year has been replaced by a mop of black hair.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Ferrand-Prevot, perched near-upright with an awkward-fitting aero helmet, looked as if she was trying to catch the French wind with a mop bucket and a pillowcase.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

I mop their famous gravy with a hunk of sourdough and hear Sancho Panza in my head and I grin.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

It sold out, and Hockney began to emerge as an iconic figure with his signature bleached-blond mop, round-rimmed glasses and eye-catching sartorial style.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

I shoved the mop back into the bucket for a soak.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

At First Watch, by the end of Fermine’s shift at around 3 p.m., he will have washed hundreds of dishes, taken out the trash and mopped up the dish room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Large investment firms mopped up foreclosed homes after the 2008 housing crash, placing a floor on prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

England at least mopped up the tail in his absence.

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026

There remains no direct evidence that the state plan changed how the Fire Department fought or mopped up the Lachman fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025

I put all of my ingredients away, wiped down the countertops, mopped up the flour that had fallen on the floor, and cleaned all the bowls and utensils I’d used.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Willy might as well be delivering newspapers or mopping the kitchen floor, so disconnected are his gestures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Fallon said his neighbour has been mopping up inside while he tries to clear water away outside.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026

With U.S. warships that once patrolled the strait now deployed chasing drug boats in the Caribbean and mopping up Inuit resistance on Greenland’s coasts, Taipei quickly capitulated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

Top fire commanders soon made plans to finish mopping up the scene and to leave with their equipment, according to text messages obtained by The Times through a state Public Records Act request.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025

There were a bunch of men and women in there, mopping and setting up chairs.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• dab
• swab
• wipe