mopping-up

American

[mop-ing-uhp] / ˈmɒp ɪŋˈʌp /

adjective

serving to complete or put the finishing touches to a phase of a particular action.
serving to complete a military campaign by killing or capturing any remaining enemy troops.

a mopping-up operation.

Etymology

Origin of mopping-up

1905–10; mop up + -ing ¹, used attributively

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The U.S. remains in the middle of an extended mopping-up effort on a mission that the public and much of the policymaking community lost interest in some time ago.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

The Ukrainian military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in the strategic settlement, but were still carrying out mopping-up operations.

From Reuters • Aug. 28, 2023

"He was clearly in pain and couldn't run properly. It was a gutsy effort, but it means it's a mopping-up operation for Australia tomorrow."

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2021

“A mopping-up operation is going on,” Lukashenko said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2021

After that, it was just a mopping-up exercise: another handful of moves, and the game was done.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023