to mop up
1
5.2
- phrasal verb
- /mɑp ʌp/
- Informal
- In the final match, the players showed no mercy and mopped up the competition effortlessly.
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Watch on YouTubeWhy this matters is that Tesla is mopping up.
- Why this matters is that Tesla is mopping up.
- The next day, the Germans, Bulgarians and Turks mopped up the West Bank of the Argus.
- And he went on behind me and when I tell you he mopped me up.
Examples
-
He is mopping up the opposition in every Negro high school track meet...
Fiction book (1994) -
The next day, the Germans, Bulgarians and Turks mopped up the West Bank of the Argus.
-
When the brief engagement was over, the brown army was mopping up.
Fiction book (1991) -
In the background, two bussers mop up.
Fiction book (2000) -
He has rarely been challenged, and when he has, he has mopped up the competition.
Blog text (4) -
You're going to mop up Gavabutu and mount the invasion of Levu-Vana.
-
Right after the enemy here on the surface was mopped up and they were sure cislunar space was clear of enemy ships, they'd launch the fleet.
Fiction book (1998) -
After a swift victory, the troops began to mop up the remaining enemies in the area.
-
The police worked to mop up any remaining gang activity after the major crackdown.
Synonyms
43
3.2
To win all games or contests in a competition
36
5.5
To beat someone easily by a large amount
33
8.6
To beat someone easily in a game or fight
20
7.2
To beat an opponent by a large amount
8
7.5
To beat someone completely in a game or contest
8
7.7
To beat someone completely in a game or fight
1
8.8
To beat someone easily and completely
1
6.8
To defeat someone completely in a contest
1
6.7
To beat someone very easily and completely in a game or contest
To beat someone badly in a game
Beat someone badly in a game or fight
To beat someone easily in a game or contest
To hit, defeat, or work very hard at something using a lot of force
Antonyms
How Decisive
Surface Forms
Morphology
mop + up
The core sense is partly derivable: 'mop' (to clean/wipe) combined with 'up' (a particle indicating completion) yields the idea of cleaning/finishing something completely. However, the noun sense 'a final action to finish off' often involves a metaphorical extension (e.g., mop-up operation) and requires recognizing 'up' as a perfective particle, so learners may not fully predict all extended uses without prior exposure.
Etymology
Mop up: The verb mop up may come from the strong picture of sweeping things away with a mop, as if clearing all the mess so nothing remains. Because of that image, people use it to mean 'to defeat an opponent completely' or beat them easily.