1 A2 neutral
To clean up a spill or wet mess by absorbing or wiping the liquid away.
"The toddler knocked over his juice and she quickly mopped it up with a cloth."
separable
mop up
B1 neutral separable transitive
To absorb or remove liquid by wiping; to deal with remaining problems, enemies, or tasks after the main action is complete.
In plain English
Clean up a wet mess, or finish off the last few remaining problems after a big task is done.
What does "mop up" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
(Military/figurative) To deal with or eliminate the last remaining pockets of resistance, enemy forces, or problems after the main battle or effort is over.
"After the main campaign ended, soldiers spent weeks mopping up isolated groups of fighters in the mountains."
“
The battle for the city was over, but there was still some mopping up to do in the outer districts.
— The Guardian, reporting on the Gulf War, 1991
separable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral
To deal with the last remaining tasks, details, or loose ends after the main work has been done.
"The project is nearly finished — we just need to mop up a few outstanding issues before we submit."
separable
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
To absorb or acquire something in large quantities, especially money, resources, or market share.
"The new streaming service mopped up most of the advertising revenue that smaller channels relied on."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To use a mop to lift liquid up and away from a surface — relatively transparent.
Actually means
Clean up a wet mess, or finish off the last few remaining problems after a big task is done.
Usage tip
Has both a literal sense (cleaning liquid) and several figurative senses common in military, business, and sporting contexts. The military sense — eliminating remaining enemy forces after a main battle — is well established. Also used in economics to describe absorbing surplus.
Words that pair with "mop up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
spill mess surplus remaining resistance profits
How to conjugate "mop up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
mop up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
mops up
he/she/it
Past simple
moped up
yesterday
Past participle
moped up
have + pp
-ing form
moping up
continuous
Hear "mop up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "mop up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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