mop

¹ American  

[mop] / mɒp /

noun

1. 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.

2. a thick mass of hair.

3. a polishing wheel having several layers of cloth secured by a boss.

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verb (used with object)

mopped, mopping

1. to rub, wipe, clean, or remove with a mop (often followed byup ).

   to mop up a spill.

2. to wipe as if with a mop.

   to mop the face with a handkerchief.

verb (used without object)

mopped, mopping

1. to clean or wipe with or as if with a mop (often followed byup ).

   First he swept, then he mopped up.

verb phrase

1. mop up

   1. Military. to clear (ground, trenches, towns, etc.) of scattered or remaining enemy combatants after attacking forces have conquered the area.

   2. Informal. to dispose of; complete; finish.

      He mopped up the rest of his business and went on a vacation.

idioms

1. mop the floor with. floor.

mop ² American  

[mop] / mɒp /

verb (used without object)

mopped, mopping

1. to make a disappointed or unhappy face; grimace.

   an unruly child that mops and mows.

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noun

1. a wry face; grimace.

mop ¹ British  

/ mɒp /

noun

1. 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

2. something resembling this, such as a tangle of hair

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verb

1. to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop

mop ² British  

/ mɒp /

verb

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

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noun

1. such a face or expression

mop ³ British  

/ mɒp /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of mop¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; earlier map, late Middle English mappe, shortening f mappel, from Medieval Latin mappula, mappa “handtowel, cloth,” equivalent to Latin mapp(a) “napkin” + -ula -ule

Origin of mop²

First recorded in 1450–1500 for the noun, and in 1560–70 for the verb; perhaps akin to Dutch moppen “to mutter, pout”

Explanation

A mop is a tool for cleaning a floor. Most mops have a long handle and a sponge or bundle of absorbent strings on one end. If someone says that your hair looks like a mop, that's not a compliment. When you use a mop, you mop the floor. Mops can be used dry, but more often they're dunked in a soapy bucket of water before they mop the floor. You can also "mop up" a mess or a spill, even if you're using a cloth, a sponge, or a paper towel instead of a mop. The earliest mops were used to clean ships' decks, and the word comes from the Latin mappa, "napkin."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mop mopped mopping

Households in India have long relied on an informal army of domestic workers to mop floors, wash dishes and cook meals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Many days, he pushed a mop alongside his crews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

I mop their famous gravy with a hunk of sourdough and hear Sancho Panza in my head and I grin.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

To the naked eye, their house was spotless, apart from a recently-used mop.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

Hannah came into the kitchen with a mop.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

Perhaps England could have pushed towards 290, but Axar induced Dawson into a pull to deep square, then the left-arm spinner mopped up the tail.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

At First Watch, by the end of Fermine’s shift at around 3 p.m., he will have washed hundreds of dishes, taken out the trash and mopped up the dish room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Large investment firms mopped up foreclosed homes after the 2008 housing crash, placing a floor on prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

Firefighters cleared brush and mopped up a hillside along California State Highway 14 due to fire in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

"I wouldn't have to do this if you were around to help out. When was the last time you mopped?"

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

For Katya, a professional events organiser, the parties have stopped - and her world and life have been disrupted following the raid, trial and community service spent mopping hospital floors.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Grown men are crying and mopping their eyes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

Fallon said his neighbour has been mopping up inside while he tries to clear water away outside.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026

With U.S. warships that once patrolled the strait now deployed chasing drug boats in the Caribbean and mopping up Inuit resistance on Greenland’s coasts, Taipei quickly capitulated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

Mother was down on her hands and knees mopping up the water and Margot was fishing my papers off the floor.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Related Words

• dab
• swab
• wipe