mop-up
Americannoun
verb
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to clean with a mop
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informal to complete (a task, etc)
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military to clear (remaining enemy forces) after a battle, as by killing, taking prisoner, etc
noun
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Clear an area of remaining enemy troops after a victory, as in They left behind just one squadron to mop up . [c. 1900]
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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.
Etymology
Origin of mop-up
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said the department is creating a post-fire policy and mop-up procedures in the wake of the Mountain fire.
From Los Angeles Times
LAFD’s newly confirmed fire chief, Jaime Moore, said he planned to commission an outside investigation into missteps during the mop-up of the Lachman fire.
From Los Angeles Times
Fires that are smaller than 5 acres, the policy states, should include a line cut by hand or with a bulldozer around the entire perimeter, and 100% mop-up where crews extinguish remaining hot spots and smoldering material within the fire’s control lines using water and foam.
From Los Angeles Times
Fire experts say that such wildfire management agreements, with limitations for mop-up and suppression, are standard nationally in the fire service for areas in which a local, state or federal agency contracts a fire department at a different level of government for suppression services.
From Los Angeles Times
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
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.
