mop up
mop up — 片語動詞
- mop upbase form
- mops up3rd person singular
- mopping up-ing form
- mopped uppast simple
1. to press a cloth, sponge, or mop against a wet area so the liquid gets taken int
擦乾；吸乾
用布或拖把吸走液體
to press a cloth, sponge, or mop against a wet area so the liquid gets taken into the material
Ari grabbed a cloth and mopped up the milk she had knocked over onto the kitchen floor.
Ari 抓起一塊布，擦乾她打翻在廚房地板上的牛奶。
mop up + object [liquid] from [surface]
The janitor spent twenty minutes mopping up the water that flooded the hallway after the pipe burst.
清潔工花了二十分鐘擦乾水管破裂後淹沒走廊的積水。
mop up + [surface]
After the rain stopped, we used towels to mop up the puddles on the balcony.
雨停後，我們用毛巾吸乾陽台上的水窪。
Do you have a sponge I can borrow to mop up this spilled juice before it stains the carpet?
你有沒有海綿可以借我，讓我吸乾這些打翻的果汁，免得弄髒地毯？
question form: mop up + object
Vikram kept a bucket of soapy water nearby and mopped up any drips as he painted the ceiling.
Vikram 在旁邊放了一桶肥皂水，一邊粉刷天花板一邊隨時擦掉滴下來的污水。
- mop up the spill
- mop up water
- mop up the floor
- mop up with a cloth
- mop up after [someone/thing]
- spill
the opposite action — liquid goes onto the surface instead of being removed
文法句型
mop up + noun phrase
mop up [liquid] from [surface]
mop up [surface]
用法筆記
Object is typically a liquid (water, milk, juice, oil) or a surface (floor, counter). Can be used transitively ('mop up the spill') or intransitively with a place as implied object ('I need to mop up before the guests arrive').
常見錯誤
2. to complete the final parts of a piece of work or a process that is almost finis
收拾；收尾
完成最後未竟的事務
to complete the final parts of a piece of work or a process that is almost finished
William stayed late at the office to mop up the last few paperwork items before the deadline.
William 在辦公室待到很晚，趕在截止日前處理完最後幾份文書工作。
mop up + noun phrase [remaining work]
The construction team mopped up the final details — installing light switches and touching up paint — before handing over the building.
工程團隊處理完最後的細節——安裝開關和修補油漆——然後才交付大樓。
After the main filming wrapped, the crew spent a week mopping up some extra scenes and voice recordings.
主要拍攝結束後，劇組又花了一週補拍一些額外場景和錄音。
mop up [remaining tasks] in creative/production context
Tunde asked his assistant to mop up a few minor issues while he prepared the final proposal.
Tunde 請助理處理客戶會議遺留的幾個小問題，自己則準備最終提案。
- mop up the details
- mop up loose ends
- mop up remaining work
- mop up the last few items
- tie up
similar meaning but broader — can include administrative, logistical, or relational loose ends
- finish off
slightly more informal, often implies completing the last stage with effort
- wrap up
informal, often used for meetings, events, or projects
文法句型
mop up + noun phrase [task/work/details]
用法筆記
Object is usually a type of unfinished work or remaining task ('details', 'issues', 'items', 'loose ends'). The implication is that most of the work is already done — this sense refers to the finishing touches.
常見錯誤
3. to consume or make use of the remaining portion of something, especially food, d
吃光；清空
用盡剩餘的食物或物資
to consume or make use of the remaining portion of something, especially food, drink, or supplies
Dahlia mopped up the last of the curry sauce on her plate with a piece of warm bread.
Dahlia 用一塊溫熱的麵包把盤子裡剩下的咖哩醬吃得乾乾淨淨。
mop up [food] with [bread] — eating leftover sauce
The buffet attracted many guests who quickly mopped up all the samosas and spring rolls.
自助餐來了許多客人，很快就把所有的咖哩角和春捲一掃而空。
Before closing the shop, Eitan mopped up the remaining stock by offering a twenty-percent discount.
關店前，Eitan 用八折優惠把剩下的庫存全部出清。
mop up remaining [supplies/inventory]
The children eagerly mopped up every drop of hot chocolate before heading out to play in the snow.
孩子們迫不及待地把熱巧克力喝得一滴不剩，然後才跑出去玩雪。
- mop up the sauce
- mop up the gravy
- mop up the last of
- mop up the remaining stock
- finish up
more general — can apply to any consumable, not just leftovers
- polish off
informal, suggests eating or drinking the last of something with enthusiasm
- clean up
can mean finishing food in some contexts, but also has many other meanings
文法句型
mop up + noun phrase [food/drink/supplies]
用法筆記
This sense often appears in food contexts (using bread to absorb sauce from a plate) or in commercial contexts (clearing remaining inventory). It carries a sense of thoroughness — nothing is left behind.
4. to destroy, capture, or clear out the last remaining enemy forces or resistance
清剿；肅清
消滅或抓獲殘餘敵軍
to destroy, capture, or clear out the last remaining enemy forces or resistance in a specific area after the main battle is over
After the main assault, two platoons were sent to mop up the remaining snipers hiding in the surrounding buildings.
主力進攻之後，兩個排被派去清剿躲在周圍建築物裡的殘餘狙擊手。
The soldiers spent the morning mopping up pockets of resistance scattered through the outskirts of the town.
士兵們一整個早上都在清掃小鎮外圍散落各處的零星抵抗。
mop up + pockets of [resistance/enemy forces]
Nkechi reported that the army was now focused on mopping up the last insurgent cells in the north.
Nkechi 報導說，軍方正集中精力肅清北部地區最後的叛亂小組。
mop up + [cells/groups/pockets] of opposition
The commander ordered a final sweep to mop up any fighters still holding out in the industrial zone.
指揮官下令進行最後一次掃蕩，以肅清仍在工業區頑抗的武裝分子。
- mop up resistance
- mop up the enemy
- mop up remaining forces
- mop up pockets of opposition
文法句型
mop up + noun phrase [enemy/troops/resistance]
用法筆記
Primarily used in military or law-enforcement contexts. The area being cleared is usually implied or stated with a prepositional phrase ('in the valley', 'from the village'). In modern usage, can also appear in video-game contexts where players 'mop up' remaining enemies.
5. to take something into a larger group, company, or system so that it becomes par
併吞；吸納
較大實體吸收較小對象
to take something into a larger group, company, or system so that it becomes part of the whole and is no longer separate
Over the decade, the retail giant mopped up three smaller competitors in the local grocery market.
過去十年間，這家零售巨頭併吞了三家本地雜貨市場的小型競爭對手。
mop up [smaller companies] — business acquisition context
Folake watched as the rising development slowly mopped up all the farmland around her childhood village.
Folake 看著不斷擴張的開發案逐漸吞噬了她童年村莊周圍的所有農田。
The new streaming platform mopped up millions of subscribers from older television networks within its first year.
這家新串流平台在第一年就吸納了數百萬原本屬於老牌電視網的訂戶。
mop up [customers/subscribers] from [source]
Small independent bookshops worried that the chain would mop up their loyal customer base with its lower prices.
小型獨立書店擔心這家連鎖店會用低價吸走他們忠實的顧客群。
- mop up competitors
- mop up smaller companies
- mop up the market
- mop up customers
- absorb
the closest synonym, used in both business and physical contexts; less informal
- swallow up
more informal and vivid, suggesting that the smaller entity disappears completely
- consolidate
formal business term, often implies deliberate strategic merging of resources
- spin off
the opposite — a larger entity creates a smaller separate unit
文法句型
mop up + noun phrase + into [larger entity]
be mopped up by [larger entity]
用法筆記
Frequently used in business and economics for acquisitions or market consolidation. The image is of a larger force absorbing smaller elements until they disappear into the whole. Often carries a slightly negative connotation of loss or homogenisation.