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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fleeced
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
Zach Harper basically wrote that Atlanta got fleeced here, though.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
So how does a front office this wary of getting fleeced tackle a deadline in which they’re meant to be major players?
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Donovan writes—the perception that men were being fleeced persisted.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
And scores of those victims were fleeced by scammers inside stores owned by Circle K, one of the crypto ATM industry’s biggest corporate partners.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
The mobsters are accused of pocketing some of the $7 million that was fleeced from unsuspecting victims who were drawn to poker tables in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and Long Island’s seaside playground for the rich and famous.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
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
Zach Harper basically wrote that Atlanta got fleeced here, though.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
So how does a front office this wary of getting fleeced tackle a deadline in which they’re meant to be major players?
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
Donovan writes—the perception that men were being fleeced persisted.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
And scores of those victims were fleeced by scammers inside stores owned by Circle K, one of the crypto ATM industry’s biggest corporate partners.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
The mobsters are accused of pocketing some of the $7 million that was fleeced from unsuspecting victims who were drawn to poker tables in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and Long Island’s seaside playground for the rich and famous.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeced
Verb
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Indigenous people have been cheated through laws such as are operated in Nigeria today.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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So those Santa Ana constituents would be cheated out of services if the money remained solely in the First District.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some songs here have been plucked from Robyn’s back catalog and given a dusting up for the 2020s.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
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Come down from your tower for a steak, some seafood plucked from Gulf waters, a martini.—
Elazar Sontag,
Washington Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shade was always a hard worker, the kind of player who hustled on every possession, but the intangibles didn’t always come naturally to her.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
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Santa Clara quickly hustled down the floor, and Allen Graves drained a 3-pointer with just two seconds left to give them a 73-70 lead.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These scandals stung at the time, but looking back, Cyrus wouldn’t have changed a thing.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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All was going well when suddenly the scorpion stung the frog.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And almost all traffic goes through two main shipping lanes that are even more squeezed.—
Annette Choi,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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More than 22,000 oranges are squeezed, and hundreds of gallons of drinks are poured, all for opening day.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Harper is thrilled, Whitney is screwed.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
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You just got screwed over by a duo!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Ireland and her husband have been swindled out of their home equity and their life insurance policies, forced to sell their home, and left without substantial savings.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
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Robin Williams was swindled a few times.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The platform exploded in popularity during the pandemic as millions of people stuck at home globally turned to the web, fuelling a surge in content and users.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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Per the official logline, School Spirits is centered around Maddie, a teen girl stuck in the afterlife investigating her own mysterious disappearance.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fleeced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeced. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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