to clean with a mop
informal to complete (a task, etc)
military to clear (remaining enemy forces) after a battle, as by killing, taking prisoner, etc
Clear an area of remaining enemy troops after a victory, as in They left behind just one squadron to mop up . [c. 1900]
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.
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, we should be filling the hoses with water to do a more thorough mop-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Since they were already there, he figured, some extra mop-up could save them work down the line if the fire were to reignite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
A former L.A. fire chief who asked not to be identified so he could speak candidly said firefighters had other options for mop-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025
Fire experts note that, even if the state restricted mop-up in some way, firefighters did not have to leave; they could have patrolled the area longer, used thermal imaging technology and left hose lines out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025
The mop-up operations won’t be long in coming—in fact, these days we find that the square root of the estimated time of a new development is generally the best time estimate.
From The Creature from Cleveland Depths by Leiber, Fritz
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
Incident commanders, he said, usually rely on hand crews and fire engines for mop up operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
A large store of proteins and sugars must be present to mop up the poison and wring it from the body.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
