fleece

1 of 2

noun

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

fleece

2 of 2

verb

fleeced; fleecing

transitive verb

1
a
: to strip of money or property by fraud or extortion
b
: to charge excessively for goods or services
2
: to remove the fleece from : shear
3
: to dot or cover with fleecy masses

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Pet fur, along with human hair, fleece and even laundry lint, can be donated to organizations like Matter of Trust and used to clean up waterways and oil spills. Cody Godwin, USA Today, 5 June 2025 The 33-piece Gap x Malbon collection of men’s and women’s apparel features a custom PAR logo along with a play on Gap’s arch logo on a variety of fleece, knits and accessories in stripes, plaids and herringbone patterns. Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
Verb
It should be noted that the man who got fleeced by the Thunder in the original Oladipo-Sabonis trade was former GM Rob Hennigan, who is now the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations. Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2025 Max revealed Wednesday that a person pretending to be British film producer Charlotte Walls and another unnamed industry figure had been reported to the FBI after attempting to fleece up-and-coming writers. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for fleece

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fleece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fleece. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

fleece

1 of 2 noun
1
: 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
ˈflē-sē
adjective

fleece

2 of 2 verb
fleeced; fleecing
1
: to rob by trickery
2
: to remove the fleece from : shear

More from Merriam-Webster on fleece

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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