mopping-up

[ mop-ing-uhp ]

adjective

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

   a mopping-up operation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mopping-up¹

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

Example Sentences

The forces then carried out mopping-up operations until they confirmed control on Monday, the military said.

From Reuters

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

The soldiers said about 50 Russian soldiers were killed in a "mopping-up operation" and four were taken prisoner.

From Reuters

“In a mopping-up operation, the Russians seal the entire neighborhood, halt traffic to and from it, and methodically go from one apartment to another. If they find any Ukrainian symbols or any link to the Ukrainian military, they put all family members in a filtration camp,” Fedorov said.

From Seattle Times

"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