as in extortion
the exaction of a grossly excessive charge for goods or services
the fleecing of the summer tourists seems to be a time-honored tradition on that resort island
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in cheating
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
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Recent Examples of fleecing
Bob Marshall, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
Shaun Benward, 38, of Mississippi was charged with fleecing employees at the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood during a December 2018 visit.
—William Morris, Des Moines Register, 11 Feb. 2026
The district also continues to grapple with the shadow of ex-superintendent Devon Horton, who faces federal charges of fleecing District 65 through a kickback scheme.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
That gave her the opportunity to hide costs in fake invoices submitted by a close circle of vendors who collaborated with her in fleecing the charity’s funds.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
So congratulations on fleecing our state, and the city and the county of Boulder for more than $70 million when the deal could have been closed for $3 million to $5 million!
—Bob Marshall, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
Shaun Benward, 38, of Mississippi was charged with fleecing employees at the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood during a December 2018 visit.
—William Morris, Des Moines Register, 11 Feb. 2026
The district also continues to grapple with the shadow of ex-superintendent Devon Horton, who faces federal charges of fleecing District 65 through a kickback scheme.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
That gave her the opportunity to hide costs in fake invoices submitted by a close circle of vendors who collaborated with her in fleecing the charity’s funds.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleecing
Noun
-
Noboa has spent the past two years targeting cocaine traffickers, but the rates of associated crimes including murders, disappearances and extortion have not fallen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Despite that, the armed groups have continued to wreak havoc, collecting millions of dollars in extortion fees from toll roads and their control of strategic corridors leading to the country’s seaports and land border with the neighboring Dominican Republic.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing tournament Saturday after being accused of cheating.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Last year, a dozen people were charged with using and selling a smog-check cheating device.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
President Lee Jae Myung also advised his government to crack down on oil refinery companies and gas stations to prevent price-gouging while making efforts to secure supply ships that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The public better wake up, because the creativity of the MTA, and Hochul’s gouging of a disinterested and unwise public, have no limits.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Serve with garlic toasts and lemon wedges for squeezing over if desired.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Photos and video show the explorers squeezing through jagged crevices deep inside the karsts, using flashlights to guide them further along an otherwise pitch-black maze of rocky burrows.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When not plucking away at a keyboard, Madison teaches yoga and mountain bikes with her two Australian shepherds, Cholla and Poppy, through Missoula's Rattlesnake Wilderness.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
28 Mar. 2026
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And don’t forget the era of over-plucking—ahem, from the currently trending ‘90s—which resulted in super-thin eyebrows that never really fully grew back.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Braves players worked on hustling first to third on a soft single to the outfield, or breaking toward home on a dribbler in the infield.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, McCutchen walked for the fourth straight game and beat out an infield single, hustling hard to first on a squibber down the third base line.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, still stinging from their unexpected Round of 16 Champions Cup elimination midweek, now turn their focus squarely on the MLS season for the next few months until the league breaks for the World Cup.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The institute and federal ocean officials say those appendages, called cerata, hold the stinging cells in a concentrated form, making the slug’s sting especially potent.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.—
Jay Reddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
-
All the setup required was screwing in the legs.—
Noah Kaufman,
Architectural Digest,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fleecing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleecing. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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