as in ending
the last part of a process or action
the general announced that the remaining fighting would be only a mop-up to a war that was all but over
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Recent Examples of mop-up
Rioux enters his redshirt freshman season with the Gators pushing to even get on the court during mop-up time when games are decided.
—
Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
Crews continue to strengthen mop-up efforts around structures and reinforce perimeter control lines to ensure the fire remains within its current footprint.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
Containment is along the south edge of the fire, and fire crews are using hand tools and heavy equipment to work the northwest, west and southwest areas of the fire, while mop-up work continues on other areas of the western section.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
Robert began the eighth only because Thomson and his coaches assessed the situation and deemed him worthy over rookie Seth Johnson and Joe Ross, the $4 million mop-up man.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Firefighters remain on scene conducting heavy mop-up operations.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
In for what proved to be only 2:07 of mop-up duty in Indiana’s rout, Johnson received a technical foul with 57.3 seconds to play amid an altercation and was ejected.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025
Firefighters remain on scene to address any new hot spots and will continue mop-up and patrol operations to ensure the area is secure.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 June 2025
Both players held pregame news conferences before their first games, but only one talked about getting dominated in High-A.
Miley pitched later that night in mop-up duty against his old team, the Brewers.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
Crews continue to strengthen mop-up efforts around structures and reinforce perimeter control lines to ensure the fire remains within its current footprint.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
Containment is along the south edge of the fire, and fire crews are using hand tools and heavy equipment to work the northwest, west and southwest areas of the fire, while mop-up work continues on other areas of the western section.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
Robert began the eighth only because Thomson and his coaches assessed the situation and deemed him worthy over rookie Seth Johnson and Joe Ross, the $4 million mop-up man.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Firefighters remain on scene conducting heavy mop-up operations.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
In for what proved to be only 2:07 of mop-up duty in Indiana’s rout, Johnson received a technical foul with 57.3 seconds to play amid an altercation and was ejected.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025
Firefighters remain on scene to address any new hot spots and will continue mop-up and patrol operations to ensure the area is secure.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 June 2025
Both players held pregame news conferences before their first games, but only one talked about getting dominated in High-A.
Miley pitched later that night in mop-up duty against his old team, the Brewers.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
-
The almost Nathan Fielder-esque twist ending is vulnerable and touching and delightfully unexpected.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Kids will enjoy the goat’s antics and the sweet surprise ending, and those of us who sometimes share Ada’s dreams will appreciate the reminder that a little chaos can be good for the soul.—
Caroline Carlson
August 1,
Literary Hub,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Regulators should consider fast-tracking reviews for critical infrastructure projects, and assess potential regulatory impacts at the conclusion of key research and technology development projects.—
Deborah Wince-Smith,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
-
This is the conclusion of a new analysis by tire experts Local Tire Guys, which used federal data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Federal Highway Administration to assess the quality of roads across all 50 states.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
That includes a deal to add 20 high end ScreenX theaters via a partnership with South Korea’s CJ 4DPlex that followed the earlier installation of new D-BOX motion seat auditoriums.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Consider this, just about four months ago, at the end of April 2025, AMD stock was trading at around $80 levels and has seen a massive rally to close to $180 per share currently.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
With inventive slang and a controversial finale that has had fans and scholars debating the character's motivations for decades, A Clockwork Orange is a prime example of dystopian literature done right.—
Robert English,
EW.com,
30 July 2025
-
The Royals haven’t announced a starter for Wednesday’s finale against the Braves.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Now add in that World Series MVP trophy Freeman won last October, plus a regular-season MVP award, five top-five finishes and eight top-10s.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
-
The bead is tight with a refined texture and a crisp, lingering finish.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Every community will be hurt by Corporation for Public Broadcasting closing.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
2 Aug. 2025
-
From the closing low on April 8 – days after Trump unveiled steep new tariff rates that were later delayed – to its all-time closing high this past Monday, the index has risen nearly 28%.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
These few minutes with the whale sharks are the culmination of a year’s planning, a gigantic logistical effort to shadow a giant.—
Matthew Abbott,
New York Times,
27 July 2025
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The case was the culmination of a 16-year fight by an Idaho couple who sought only to build a home on their own property.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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