How to Use mop-up in a Sentence

mop-up

1 of 2 noun
  • Joe Milton went in there, mop-up duty, played well.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
  • And think of this as almost just a mop-up operation.
    — NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • While both of them were mop-up appearances to save the bullpen, the team saw some things to be excited about.
    — Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Fire crews were ordered to roll up their hoses, despite complaints that a more thorough mop-up was needed.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Lovelady made six appearances for the Mets this season in mop-up roles.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • No injuries were reported, but fire crews were expected to remain at the scene through the evening for mop-up work.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 16 May 2026
  • That effectively left it as a fourth quarter of nothing by mop-up time, with both benches emptied.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The veteran Brubaker had been working as a long/mop-up man in the Yankees’ bullpen.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Crews remained on scene Monday for mop-up operations.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Fire planners said Friday that mop-up operations are continuing, along with a search for more hot spots.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
  • Crews remained at the scene Friday night searching for hot spots and completing mop-up operations.
    — Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026
  • Kyle Hurt and Jake Eder pitched in mop-up duty in the latter innings and each threw a scoreless inning.
    — Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Two days later, Jacob was called into a 6-2 game in the eighth inning for what was seemingly mop-up duty.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Crews continue mop-up work, improving containment lines and assessments of hazard trees in the area, Backe said.
    — Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 20 May 2026
  • Emanuel appeared in 10 of 11 games this season, either because of injury to the starter or in a mop-up role late in victories.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Firefighters remained on scene overnight and continued mop-up efforts on Tuesday morning.
    — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 14 May 2026
  • More than a year after the Palisades fire, the public has yet to hear directly from firefighters about their mop-up of the Lachman fire.
    — Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Gardner said the department has since developed a post-fire policy and mop-up procedures after the Mountain fire.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Fire crews were also actively engaged in mop-up efforts, searching for any remaining hotspots or burning materials along the perimeter of the fire.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • McKee, 25, has taken limited snaps in mop-up duty in three blowout victories this season.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Throughout the season during mop-up work and in practice situations, Milton has felt confident in his abilities.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Vitello said that Tidwell, who threw 47 pitches in mop-up duty Tuesday, would be stretched out in a starting role at Sacramento.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Drivers were encouraged to seek alternate routes as the mop-up and investigation continued on Sunday.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
  • At that point, Battalion Chief Martin Mullen, who was running the mop-up operation, had walked three laps around the perimeter of the fire.
    — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • But Blackburn battled multiple injuries with the Mets, and his stats with the Yankees were inflated by a seven-run, mop-up debut for the club.
    — Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Before the land was purchased by state parks, the Sempervirens Fund had to complete a laundry list of fire mop-up and forestry work as well as ensure that pollution from the junk yard was gone.
    — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Veteran big man Charles Bassey, who is nearing the end of his second 10-day contract with the Celtics, went 3-for-3 in mop-up duty.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • On the western side, firefighters continued mop-up operations near structures and held fire lines established during earlier burnout efforts.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Crews are expected to continue to construct control lines, secure the perimeter, conduct mop-up and mitigate hazard trees throughout the day to increase containment.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Firefighters then shifted to mop-up operations, extinguishing hotspots within the containment lines.
    — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026

mop up

2 of 2 verb
  • None of this mopped up the air.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Get this deal before it gets mopped up.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Sweep this deal your way before it gets mopped up!
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Don't skip the crusty bread for mopping up every last bit.
    — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Warm bread arrives, ready to mop up za’atar olive oil and smoky hummus.
    — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Making progress with handline and mop up where able.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Crews remained on scene overnight to mop up hotspots and ensure high winds didn’t rekindle the flames.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
  • And when the shots weren’t falling, Boise State mopped up its misses.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
  • One person’s entire job for the day is mopping up the floors; errant slicks of sweat could cause a slip.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Meanwhile, crews continued to mop up and address hazard trees in the area.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Slices of crusty sourdough are essential for mopping up every last drop.
    — Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Mandatory evacuations were lifted last week as crews worked to mop up the fire.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Use them for dusting, slipping over the head of a Swiffer to mop up a spill, or for making a sock puppet.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Most of the containment line is on the southern perimeter and crews are mopping up and backhauling trash in this area.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Esteban said crews from Caltrans and the city of La Mesa were called to the scene to mop up the diesel spill.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
  • The agency noted that fire crews had worked overnight to strengthen control lines, mop up hot spots, and protect nearby structures.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Mahomes was injured on the first play after the two-minute warning, and Minshew got his first non-mop up snaps this season.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025
  • Treasury debt—which the Fed is helping mop up—has traditionally been issued at the long end of the curve.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Solodko explains that road salt can erode the protective layer on hardwood floors, leading to damage if it's not quickly mopped up.
    — Heather Bien, The Spruce, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The Chopper has containment line around it and fire crews continue to mop up and strengthen containment lines.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The vast majority of Windows users already default to Chrome, so this is just mopping up.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • And when their shots weren’t landing, 7-foot-2 Swedish center Will Berg had been on hand to mop up and kick the ball back out.
    — Idaho Statesman, 19 Nov. 2025
  • Cybersecurity is not just about avoiding penalties or mopping up after a breach.
    — Craig Burland, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Colin speed rushes, and his ability to move the quarterback off the spot has allowed Ethan to kind of do some of that dirty work and mop up some of those things.
    — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Only pitchers, catchers and hitters can challenge balls and strikes; challenges cannot be used when position players are mopping up games.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Crews will continue mop up, patrol, and monitor fire activity overnight.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Crews are also engaged in mopping up, addressing hot spots, and back-hauling equipment on the eastern, southern, and western sides of the fire.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Focusing solely on slowing down future emissions is like trying to mop up a catastrophic flood while the main water line is still broken and gushing.
    — Rob Van Straten, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Crews patrol and mop up direct fire lines while constructing additional primary and secondary containment.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Early January is a great time for comedy, since stand-ups often take advantage of the light music-touring schedule to mop up audiences.
    — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mop-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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