1
a
: the coat of wool covering a wool-bearing animal (such as a sheep)
b
: the wool obtained from a sheep at one shearing
2
a
: any of various soft or woolly coverings
b
: a soft bulky deep-piled knitted or woven fabric used chiefly for clothing
fleeced; fleecing
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
Examples of fleece in a Sentence
Noun
learning how to shear the fleece off a sheep
Verb
Don't let that salesman fleece you.
an unsuspecting tourist fleeced by a scam artist
Recent Examples on the Web
Ferron Salniker, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
This fleece throw blanket is perfect to nestle into on chilly nights, while this cool mist humidifier can turn dry, cold air into a hydrated wonderland.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2023
The plush reversible blanket features a faux popcorn fleece on one side and a festive flannel on the other.
—Maria Conti, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2023
Grab this stylish Cloud Hoodie in breathable, soft, and plush fleece, and make sure to have it nearby all through the fall.
—Maverick Li, Men's Health, 31 Aug. 2023
Hanes Fleece Sweatshirt, $12 (Save 33%) And consider picking up a Hanes fleece sweatshirt that’s as little as $12 right now.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2023
Made from recycled materials, the sherpa fleece locks in heat and there are two zippered hand pockets for small must-haves.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2023
The striped fleece blanket is waterproof on one side to keep the couple cozy and dry, so a little spill won’t spoil their picnic.
—Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2023
Still, a few woes are countering these efforts, including a massive inventory imbalance—heavy on fleece and athletic wear, but light on going-out and back-to-office clothing—that forced it to discount heavily.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 1 Sep. 2023
Her actual crimes involved fleecing a pair of financial institutions in her quest to create a Soho House-like club in downtown Manhattan and nearly got away with it.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Other readers said they were getting fleeced by ink subscriptions.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 18 July 2023
The scheme fleeced the U.S. Treasury of about $511 million, much of which has not been recovered, prosecutors said.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
And the potential liabilities of Casa Nueva Vida — fleeced for years by Duran — was something of a black box.
—Mike Damiano, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023
On the other is Fox’s internal conviction that Dominion’s private-equity backers are trying to fleece the network for their own financial gain.
—Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023
The complaint claims these scams have fleeced US consumers out of over $6 million since 2018.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 27 Mar. 2023
The trial revealed how a powerful lawyer in a hidden corner of the South had acted with impunity for years, fleecing clients and seemingly remaining above the law in a region his family had dominated for a century.
—Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2023
See More
Noun
Image Iconic is walking a mile on Mulholland Sept. 13, 2023
Now, most of the drops are modeled after her own style: baby tees, fleece sherpas, hoodies, swimsuits.
—Ferron Salniker, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
This fleece throw blanket is perfect to nestle into on chilly nights, while this cool mist humidifier can turn dry, cold air into a hydrated wonderland.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2023
The plush reversible blanket features a faux popcorn fleece on one side and a festive flannel on the other.
—Maria Conti, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2023
Grab this stylish Cloud Hoodie in breathable, soft, and plush fleece, and make sure to have it nearby all through the fall.
—Maverick Li, Men's Health, 31 Aug. 2023
Hanes Fleece Sweatshirt, $12 (Save 33%) And consider picking up a Hanes fleece sweatshirt that’s as little as $12 right now.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2023
Made from recycled materials, the sherpa fleece locks in heat and there are two zippered hand pockets for small must-haves.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2023
The striped fleece blanket is waterproof on one side to keep the couple cozy and dry, so a little spill won’t spoil their picnic.
—Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2023
Still, a few woes are countering these efforts, including a massive inventory imbalance—heavy on fleece and athletic wear, but light on going-out and back-to-office clothing—that forced it to discount heavily.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Verb
The crypto world dodged a bullet this week when a New York federal judge shot down claims that the Uniswap should compensate those who got fleeced buying scam tokens on the decentralized platform.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 1 Sep. 2023
Her actual crimes involved fleecing a pair of financial institutions in her quest to create a Soho House-like club in downtown Manhattan and nearly got away with it.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Other readers said they were getting fleeced by ink subscriptions.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 18 July 2023
The scheme fleeced the U.S. Treasury of about $511 million, much of which has not been recovered, prosecutors said.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
And the potential liabilities of Casa Nueva Vida — fleeced for years by Duran — was something of a black box.
—Mike Damiano, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023
On the other is Fox’s internal conviction that Dominion’s private-equity backers are trying to fleece the network for their own financial gain.
—Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023
The complaint claims these scams have fleeced US consumers out of over $6 million since 2018.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 27 Mar. 2023
The trial revealed how a powerful lawyer in a hidden corner of the South had acted with impunity for years, fleecing clients and seemingly remaining above the law in a region his family had dominated for a century.
—Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fleece.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English flees, from Old English flēos; akin to Middle High German vlius fleece and perhaps to Latin pluma feather, down
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of fleece was
before the 12th century
Articles Related to fleece
Dictionary Entries Near fleece
Cite this Entry
“Fleece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fleece. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
fleece
1 of 2 noun1
: the woolly coat of an animal (as a sheep)
2
a
: any of various soft or woolly coverings
b
: a soft bulky knitted or woven fabric used especially for clothing
fleecy
adjective
ˈflē-sē
More from Merriam-Webster on fleece
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share