fleeced

Definition of fleecednext
past tense of fleece

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 The text is written on parchment made from sheep, fleeced, their hides soaked in lime, stretched and dried. Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 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
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
Verb
  • Other items were plucked from antique stores and flea markets around the globe.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Antonelli started 19th and plucked his way through the crowd, finally catching up to Russell and battling with him for the victory.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
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
Verb
  • Two years is a long time in the NFL, yet that wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles still stung in the building.
    Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • And the harsh reviews from her fellow breakers weren’t even what stung Gunn the most.
    Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
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
Verb
  • Like her, Americans are also so tired of being screwed by an administration that’s not only grossly incompetent and cruel but corrupt as well.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
  • My husband recently screwed over his business partner by taking significantly more of the profit for himself.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • At one point, Fred was swindled out of upward of $15,000 when someone pretended to be the owner of a house for sale that Fred wanted to buy.
    Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Fleeced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeced. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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