mop-up

noun

An instance of mopping up; a cleaning or finishing off.

“We need a mop-up on aisle 3. [store intercom announcement]”

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Meanings

nounmop-up (countable and uncountable, plural mop-ups)

plural mop-ups

  1. attributivecountableinformaloftenuncountableAn instance of mopping up; a cleaning or finishing off.

    We need a mop-up on aisle 3. [store intercom announcement]

    1 more example

    Another armored division was called in for the mop-up operation.

  2. countableuncountablefirefightingThe cleanup of an area by removing burning material, felling dead trees, securing logs from moving, etc.

Origin

Deverbal from mop up.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mop-up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mop-up

MLA

“mop-up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mop-up. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mop-up,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mop-up.

Source: mop-up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.