mop up

mop  (mp)

n.

1. A household implement made of absorbent material attached to a typically long handle and used for washing, dusting, or drying floors.

2. A loosely tangled bunch or mass: a mop of unruly hair.

v. mopped, mop·ping, mops

v.tr.

To wash or wipe with or as if with a mop: mopped the hallway; mopping the spilled water; mopped her forehead with a towel.

v.intr.

To use a mop to wash or dry surfaces: mopped along the baseboards.

Phrasal Verb:

mop up

1. To clear (an area) of remaining enemy troops after a victory.

2. Informal To perform the minor tasks that conclude a project or an activity.

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[Middle English mappe, perhaps from Old French dialectal, napkin, from Latin mappa, towel, cloth; see map.]

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mopper n.

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mop up

Verb

1. to clean with a mop

2. Informal to complete the last remaining stages of a job

3. Mil to clear remaining enemy forces after a battle, by killing them or taking them prisoner

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mop up - a concluding action windup, completion, culmination, closing consummation - the act of bringing to completion or fruition consummation - the completion of marriage by sexual intercourse ending, termination, conclusion - the act of ending something; "the termination of the agreement" finishing, finish - the act of finishing; "his best finish in a major tournament was third"; "the speaker's finishing was greeted with applause" finalisation, finalization - the act of finalizing follow-through - carrying some project or intention to full completion; "I appreciated his follow-through on his promise" follow-through - the act of carrying a stroke to its natural completion; "his follow-through was straight down the line toward the target"; "squash can be dangerous if your opponent has a long follow-through" graduation - the successful completion of a program of study
Verb	1.	mop up - to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop; "Mop the hallway now"; "He mopped her forehead with a towel" mop, wipe up swab, swob - wash with a swab or a mop; "swab the ship's decks" sponge - soak up with a sponge imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck up, absorb, suck, take up, take in, draw - take in, also metaphorically; "The sponge absorbs water well"; "She drew strength from the minister's words"
	2.	mop up - defeat thoroughly; "He mopped up the floor with his opponents" worst, whip, pip, rack up beat, beat out, vanquish, trounce, crush, shell - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
	3.	mop up - finish a task completely; "I finally got through this homework assignment" finish off, finish up, get through, polish off, wrap up, clear up complete, finish - come or bring to a finish or an end; "He finished the dishes"; "She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree"; "The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours; others finished in over 4 hours" cap off - finish or complete, as with some decisive action; "he capped off the meeting with a radical proposal"