fleece

[ flees ]
See synonyms for: fleecefleecedfleecingfleeceable on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the coat of wool that covers a sheep or a similar animal.

  2. the wool shorn from a sheep at one shearing.

  1. something resembling a fleece:a fleece of clouds in a blue sky.

  2. a fabric with a soft, silky pile, used for warmth, as for lining garments.

  3. the soft nap or pile of such a fabric.

verb (used with object),fleeced, fleec·ing.
  1. to deprive of money or belongings by fraud, hoax, or the like; swindle: He fleeced the stranger of several dollars.

  2. to remove the fleece of (a sheep).

  1. to overspread, as with a fleece; fleck with fleecelike masses: a host of clouds fleecing the summer sky.

Origin of fleece

1
before 1000; Middle English flees,Old English flēos, flȳs; cognate with Middle Dutch vlies,Middle High German vlius,German Vlies

Other words from fleece

  • fleece·a·ble, adjective
  • fleeceless, adjective
  • fleecelike, adjective
  • fleecer, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fleece in a sentence

  • He even remembered to thank the voters and admonish cellphone companies for fleecing his fans.

  • This non-interventive order was part of the royal policy, in order that the king might have the full fleecing of his visitors.

  • How a body charged with the public interests could be parties to this scandalous fleecing of the public passes comprehension.

    The Transvaal from Within | J. P. Fitzpatrick
  • He's going to marry Miss Krill and her money, and is getting cash together by fleecing young Sandal.

    The Opal Serpent | Fergus Hume
  • The Sirdar strongly objected to our interpreters, who were preventing him from fleecing us in the matter of stores and supplies.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • The more of a Philistine Cousin Henry was, the more satisfaction should there be in fleecing him.

    Cousin Henry | Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for fleece

fleece

/ (fliːs) /


noun
  1. the coat of wool that covers the body of a sheep or similar animal and consists of a mass of crinkly hairs

  2. the wool removed from a single sheep

  1. something resembling a fleece in texture or warmth

  2. sheepskin or a fabric with soft pile, used as a lining for coats, etc

  3. a warm polyester fabric with a brushed nap, used for outdoor garments

  4. a jacket or top made from such a fabric

verb(tr)
  1. to defraud or charge exorbitantly; swindle

  2. another term for shear (def. 1)

Origin of fleece

1
Old English flēos; related to Middle High German vlius, Dutch vlies fleece, Latin plūma feather, down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012