mop1
[mop]
- 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.
- a thick mass of hair.
- a polishing wheel having several layers of cloth secured by a boss.
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- to rub, wipe, clean, or remove with a mop (often followed by up): to mop up a spill.
- to wipe as if with a mop: to mop the face with a handkerchief.
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- to clean or wipe with or as if with a mop (often followed by up): First he swept, then he mopped up.
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- mop up,
- Military.to clear (ground, trenches, towns, etc.) of scattered or remaining enemy combatants after attacking forces have conquered the area.
- Informal.to dispose of; complete; finish: He mopped up the rest of his business and went on a vacation.
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- mop the floor with. floor(def 20).
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Origin of mop1
1375–1425; earlier map, late Middle English mappe, apocopated variant of mappel < Medieval Latin mappula a cloth, equivalent to Latin mapp(a) napkin + -ula -ule
mop2
[mop]
- to make a disappointed or unhappy face; grimace: an unruly child that mops and mows.
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- a wry face; grimace.
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Origin of mop2
1560–70; akin to Dutch moppen to pout
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for mopping
Contemporary Examples
There was some mopping up to do, particularly to convince waverers in the Jewish community.
How the Chuck Hagel Fight Changed the American Jewish Landscape in WashingtonJ. J. Goldberg
August 20, 2013
Irizarry spent the morning mopping the floors—“it still smells like fish everywhere,” she said—and taking stock.
Typical Post-y puns decried how custodians were “mopping up” and “cleaning us out.”
Historical Examples
He recognized K., and, mopping dry a part of the porch, shoved a chair on it.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Women were fanning themselves and men were mopping their foreheads.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
The little man had dropped down on to a stone, and was mopping his forehead.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
"Not at all," said Peter, mopping the perspiration from his forehead.
The Vagrant DukeGeorge Gibbs
He closed the door, and, mopping his injured nose, invited Annette to a seat.
Despair's Last JourneyDavid Christie Murray
mop1
- 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
- something resembling this, such as a tangle of hair
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- (tr often foll by up) to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop
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See also mop up
Word Origin
C15 mappe, from earlier mappel, from Medieval Latin mappula cloth, from Latin mappa napkin
mop2
- (intr) to make a grimace or sad expression (esp in the phrase mop and mow)
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- such a face or expression
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Word Origin
C16: perhaps from Dutch moppen to pour; compare Dutch mop pug dog
mop3
- (in various parts of England) an annual fair at which formerly servants were hired
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Word Origin
C17: from the practice of servants carrying a mop, broom, or flail, etc, to signify the job sought
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for mopping
mop
n.
late 15c., mappe "bundle of yarn, etc., fastened to the end of a stick for cleaning or spreading pitch on a ship's decks," from Walloon (French) mappe "napkin," from Latin mappa "napkin" (see map (n.)). Modern spelling by 1660s. Of hair, from 1847.
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mop
v.
1709, from mop (n.). Related: Mopped; mopping.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper