Thesaurus results for FLEECED

fleeced

verb

Definition of fleeced

past tense of fleece

as in cheated

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

Relevance

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 fleeced As an example of money wasted by LAHSA’s lack of financial controls, Turner cited the recent federal indictment alleging a homeless services provider fleeced the system of $23 million in fraudulent billings. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Some television-repair programs, for example, offered free TV sets to get veterans in the door and then fleeced VA for their tuition. — Andrew Ba Tran, Washington Post, 22 July 2026 At his sentencing in 2024, Bailyn, the prosecutor, described Lorquet as a greedy criminal who fleeced his country at one of its weakest moments in history. — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026 The lesson from the parking deal is not merely that the city got fleeced by private investors. — Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026 Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is warning of another scam that fleeced local residents out of tens of thousands of dollars — this time targeting family members of inmates in the Bexar County jail. — Saul Pink, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2026 Mexican cartels have fleeced American victims for hundreds of millions of dollars through timeshare fraud over the decades, treasury officials said, targeted them through call centers staffed by English-speaking telemarketers. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026 Compared with the ostensible consequences of the prisoner’s dilemma, getting fleeced in the snowdrift problem’s scenario isn’t quite as disastrous. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026 Their false claims about getting financially fleeced by Uncle Sam were fueled by a rather sophisticated, albeit deceitful and shameful lobbying campaign, sponsored by greedy gadflies out to make a quick buck. — Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeced

Verb

The Times has interviewed more than a dozen clients and investors who said they were cheated by Holdo.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The rest of us just got the surface, but who could feel cheated?

— Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

But for guests seeking deeper immersion in nature, the wildflower garden with more than 200 plant species looks like it was plucked straight from a fairy tale.

— Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
The Muir swivel chair in oxblood velvet feels plucked out of a Hollywood Regency–style boutique hotel lobby.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

His play-by-play recall might mention the runner who hustled to beat out a double play or the pitchers who kept it close in the later innings.

— Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Facing questions about a totally different set of Piker comments, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hustled into an elevator.

— Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

Add in Braxton Berrios, the Giants’ punt returner and backup slot receiver, and that squeezed Slayton out.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.

— Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

My husband recently screwed over his business partner by taking significantly more of the profit for himself.

— Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
The hardest physical part was actually taking down the old blinds, which had been screwed tightly into the window frame years prior.

— Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed

Verb

Other gamblers just don’t want to get swindled, so anything that smacks too clearly of insider trading can get you in trouble.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
While the men whom Chen allegedly swindled began to grow suspicious of her actions around 2024, the Clark County Marriage Bureau reported her to the police, resulting in the launch of an investigation around the same time.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026

Definition of swindled

Verb

Stolen bases often come less from beating a catcher’s throw and more from taking advantage of a pitcher who is either slow to the plate or stuck in a predictable delivery.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
That might have sounded like blasphemy just half a decade ago, but college football is always evolving, and Swinney is a man stuck in time.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of stuck

Browse Nearby Words

fleece

fleeced

fleeces

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fleeced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeced. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fleeced

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loath

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes