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• mop-up
  mop-up

  noun

  the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.
• mop up
  mop up

  verb

  to clean with a mop

mop-up

American  

[mop-uhp] / ˈmɒpˌʌp /

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.

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mop up British  

verb

1. to clean with a mop

2. informal to complete (a task, etc)

3. military to clear (remaining enemy forces) after a battle, as by killing, taking prisoner, etc

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noun

1. the act or an instance of mopping up

mop up Idioms  

1. Clear an area of remaining enemy troops after a victory, as in They left behind just one squadron to mop up . [c. 1900]

2. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of mop-up

First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mop-up mop up

At that point, Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was running the mop-up operation, had walked three laps around the perimeter of the fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026

His final three games came in a mop-up role for a Green Bay team that went 4-12 in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026

Even with the internal investigation underway, Moore said he spoke with the battalion chief who was on duty during the Lachman fire mop-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 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

Unless they knew that there had been three cruisers out on a raid and for some reason they were determined to make a complete mop-up.

From Key Out of Time by Andre Norton

Dr Callum MacIver, research fellow at the University of Strathclyde, said data centres in Scotland would mop up excess renewable energy.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

By about 6 p.m., forward progress had been stopped, with crews remaining at the site to mop up, Stewart said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

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

Carlyle smiles, and dumps some water from his bucket for me to mop up.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• clinch
• close
• complete
• conclude
• do
• end
• make
• play out
• settle
• stop
• wind up
• wrap up