mop-up

[ mop-uhp ]
See synonyms for mop-up on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.

Origin of mop-up

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for mop up

mop up

verb(tr, adverb)
  1. to clean with a mop

  2. informal to complete (a task, etc)

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

nounmop-up
  1. the act or an instance of mopping up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with mop-up

mop-up

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.