mop

[mop]

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noun

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.

verb (used with object), mopped, mop·ping.

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.

verb (used without object), mopped, mop·ping.

to clean or wipe with or as if with a mop (often followed by up): First he swept, then he mopped up.

Verb Phrases

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.

Idioms

mop the floor with. floor(def 20).

Origin of mop

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

mop

[mop]

verb (used without object), mopped, mop·ping.

to make a disappointed or unhappy face; grimace: an unruly child that mops and mows.

noun

a wry face; grimace.

Origin of mop

1560–70; akin to Dutch moppen to pout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mopping

wipe, dab, swab, pat, rub, sponge, wash, dust, polish, squeegee

Examples from the Web for mopping

Contemporary Examples of mopping

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 Washington
J. J. Goldberg
August 20, 2013
Irizarry spent the morning mopping the floors—“it still smells like fish everywhere,” she said—and taking stock.
Residents in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Assess the Damage After Sandy
Eliza Shapiro
October 31, 2012
Typical Post-y puns decried how custodians were “mopping up” and “cleaning us out.”
The $140,000 Janitors
Azriel James Relph
November 24, 2010

Historical Examples of mopping

He recognized K., and, mopping dry a part of the porch, shoved a chair on it.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Women were fanning themselves and men were mopping their foreheads.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The little man had dropped down on to a stone, and was mopping his forehead.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
"Not at all," said Peter, mopping the perspiration from his forehead.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs
He closed the door, and, mopping his injured nose, invited Annette to a seat.
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for mopping

mop

noun

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

verb mops, mopping or mopped

(tr often foll by up) to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop

Word Origin for mop

C15 mappe, from earlier mappel, from Medieval Latin mappula cloth, from Latin mappa napkin

mop

verb mops, mopping or mopped

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

noun

such a face or expression

Word Origin for mop

C16: perhaps from Dutch moppen to pour; compare Dutch mop pug dog

mop

noun

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

Word Origin for mop

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

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.

mop

1709, from mop (n.). Related: Mopped; mopping.