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
And the righty had to be saved by Robert Suarez during what had been a mop-up win in Kansas City.
—
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
The wing out of Cal has received only mop-up duty to this stage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Walker, less than halfway through a four-year, $72 million deal, will be an expensive mop-up man in September.
—Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
The Mets’ two wins came in Game 2, a bullpen game for the Dodgers, and Game 5, when mop-up man Brent Honeywell Jr. threw four innings after Jack Flaherty was tattooed for eight runs.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Springer went 4-for-5 and 1-for-1 from three in his nine minutes of mop-up duty, scoring 10 points and making another case for additional playing time.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
Jackson has played 45 NFL head coaches in full games (excluding some mop-up duty as a rookie).
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Christie, though, struggled badly to start the season and fell out of Redick’s rotation, relegated to late-game mop-up duty in wins over Philadelphia and Toronto before a DNP on Nov. 13 against Memphis.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Fans filed out with more than three minutes remaining, what was left of Golden State’s bench at the scorer’s table ready for mop-up duty.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024
The wing out of Cal has received only mop-up duty to this stage.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Walker, less than halfway through a four-year, $72 million deal, will be an expensive mop-up man in September.
—Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
The Mets’ two wins came in Game 2, a bullpen game for the Dodgers, and Game 5, when mop-up man Brent Honeywell Jr. threw four innings after Jack Flaherty was tattooed for eight runs.
—Jerry Beach, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mop-up
Noun
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The ending, like most broken marriages, has gotten ugly.—
Paul Sullivan,
Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2025
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Portia & Jack 3 of 6 What happens to Portia and Jack in The White Lotus season 2 ending?—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Early on, Clement telegraphs his conclusion in his discussion of what Rule 48(a) does and doesn't permit a judge to do.—
Michael Rothfeld,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
O’Neill has spent a quarter of his life getting to that conclusion.—
TIME,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The planet parade that began in January will then come to an end by mid-to-late February, as Saturn sinks increasingly lower in the sky each night after sunset, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2025
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At this rate, Russia will be out of cash by the end of the year if not sooner.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian,
TIME,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This post contains spoilers from the March 7 season 3 finale of The Way Home.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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So many loose threads with Colton were tied up in this finale.—
Megan Vick,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The most surprising finish of the night took place in the men’s 3,000 meters.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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The Essence, adding the Sublime Perfection Foundation and the Blurring Under-Eye Powder for a luminous finish.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On Wednesday evening, a small group of parents, students and CTU organizers gathered outside Rufino Tamayo Elementary in Gage Park holding signs and plastic candles to protest the potential closing of the school.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
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On-brand style and high-end touches The Aria Suite is an evolution of the airline’s current long-haul business-class seat, which has Cathay’s first-ever closing door.—
Chris Dong,
AFAR Media,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The meeting was the culmination of a monthslong battle over the fate of the charter schools, which were originally slated for closure last October.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
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Trump’s attacks on America’s public land management agencies are simply the culmination of a decades-long political assault on the ability of federal land managers to properly care for the land sustainably.—
TIME,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mop-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mop-up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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