fleece 1 of 2

noun

ˈflēs How to pronounce fleece (audio)
Definition of fleecenext
as in wool
the hairy covering of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick learning how to shear the fleece off a sheep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

fleece

2 of 2

verb

as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats swindlers who use the telephone to fleece senior citizens out of their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fleece
Noun
Barn and chore jackets add depth and visual interest to an outfit in a way that a basic black zip-up fleece or plain puffer coat cannot. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 29 Sep. 2026 The classic is a plush fleece with a velvety soft feel, while the luxe style is double-lined with faux sherpa for heavier warmth. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
The text is written on parchment made from sheep, fleeced, their hides soaked in lime, stretched and dried. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 Both men admitted fleecing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a COVID-19 government loan program in 2020 and then transferring some of that money to Veintemilla to help fund the assassination plot. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fleece
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleece
  1. wool
  2. cheat
  3. hair
  4. squeeze
  5. pluck
  6. sting
  7. hustle
  8. stick
Noun
  • For good air flow when drying heavy, bulky towels, Ceconi recommends using wool dryer balls.
    — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The season’s softer palette and lightweight gauze, linen-silk and wool lace reflected a shift away from the more aggressive sensuality associated with the brand’s earlier work.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of wool
Verb
  • For example, if a model figures out a way to cheat to win a game, but the human running the training doesn’t spot the cheating, then the model will learn to cheat.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheat
Noun
  • The hair accessories blended effortlessly with her texture, folding between the body of her hair thanks to celebrity hair architect Igor Rosales.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Each channel measures roughly half the width of a human hair in depth.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of hair
Verb
  • Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.
    — , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • As the party winded down, guests plucked final bites off silver platters and marveled at how tall Skarsgård truly is in person—his nearly six-foot-five frame barely fit under the bar’s low ceilings.
    — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Starring alongside Amell is a slew of objectively hot influencers and models plucked straight off the TikTok FYP, including Noah Beck, Olivia Dunne, and Brooks Nader.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • All of a sudden, Bass was a staggering champion lunging at a revived Raman, who swung and stung and ducked the way only a hungry up-and-comer can.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Clement famously tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama's signature health care law, a loss that still stings.
    — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sting
Verb
  • The last thing the Bears need is for Williams to hustle back only to reinjure himself and miss more time.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hustle
Verb
  • As such, the greatest obstacle to genuine transformation is getting stuck in the planning cycle.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Chatten’s narrators are stuck in a perpetual apartness—desperate for safety and connection, but repeatedly failing to find it.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of stick

Browse Nearby Words

flee
fleece
fleeced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fleece.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleece. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All