mop up
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To consume or get rid of an excess of something.
verb
To finish something off; to apply a finishing touch
verb
To get rid of (enemies) within a certain area.
verb
To win a competition decisively.
Example Sentences
- "Please mop up the spilled milk."
- "And though Fightville, an MMA documentary from the directors of the fine Iraq War doc Gunner Palace, presents it more than fairly, the sight of a makeshift ring getting constructed on a Louisiana rodeo ground does little to shake the label. Nor do the shots of ringside assistants with spray bottles and rags, mopping up the blood between rounds"
- "There's no sense in trying to mop up a free-flowing river."
- "We went through to the kitchen and draped Bob's shaking arm over a thick white beach towel to mop up the blood, but even I wasn't prepared for what I saw next"
- "He wiped the sleeve of his garment across his brow, trying to mop up some of the sweat that was dripping into his eyes."
- "After they argued, it fell to me to talk to her and try to mop up."
Etymology
mop + up