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• mop-up
  mop-up

  noun

  the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.
• mop up
  mop up

  verb

  to clean with a mop

mop-up

American  

[mop-uhp] / ˈmɒpˌʌp /

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.

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mop up British  

verb

1. to clean with a mop

2. informal to complete (a task, etc)

3. military to clear (remaining enemy forces) after a battle, as by killing, taking prisoner, etc

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noun

1. the act or an instance of mopping up

mop up Idioms  

1. Clear an area of remaining enemy troops after a victory, as in They left behind just one squadron to mop up . [c. 1900]

2. Perform the minor tasks that conclude a project or activity, as in Go ahead, I'll mop up these last invoices . [First half of 1900s] Both usages transfer the task of housecleaning with a mop to other kinds of cleanup.

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Etymology

Origin of mop-up

First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mop-up mop up

A captain said he expressed it was not a good idea to remove it, as it could be needed for further mop-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Fire crews were ordered to roll up their hoses, despite complaints that a more thorough mop-up was needed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Addressing the LAFD’s failure to fully extinguish the Lachman fire, which later reignited into the Palisades fire, Chief Jaime Moore conceded at a January board meeting that mop-up procedures needed to be strengthened.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

His final three games came in a mop-up role for a Green Bay team that went 4-12 in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

Unless they knew that there had been three cruisers out on a raid and for some reason they were determined to make a complete mop-up.

From Key Out of Time by Andre Norton

By about 6 p.m., forward progress had been stopped, with crews remaining at the site to mop up, Stewart said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Now, the roughly half a million barrels a day of Venezuelan crude that China used to mop up will likely be diverted to U.S. refineries along the Gulf Coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

Kuroda didn’t, leaving Ueda to mop up his mess.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

When Starc returned to mop up the lower-order, Jamie Smith and Wood were bounced out either side of Atkinson tamely poking an edge.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025

There really wasn’t much else we could do other than report leaking gutters and mop up after floods.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• clinch
• close
• complete
• conclude
• do
• end
• make
• play out
• settle
• stop
• wind up
• wrap up

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