fleecing 1 of 2

Definition of fleecingnext
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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fleecing

2 of 2

verb

present participle 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 fleecing
Noun
Thanks to its fleecing of New Orleans during last year’s draft, Atlanta gets either the Pelicans’ or the Bucks’ first-round pick — whichever winds up higher. Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 6 May 2026
Verb
The Thunder even improved before the trade deadline by fleecing the Philadelphia 76ers for a strong rookie scorer (Jared McCain) only for a first-round pick (2026) and three second-round picks. Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 The former president of one of the largest homeowners associations in Florida — and her husband — admitted in court on Thursday afternoon to their roles in fleecing $2 million from residents’ monthly maintenance fees. Grethel Aguila, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026 The former president of one of the largest homeowners associations in Florida — and her husband — admitted in court on Thursday afternoon to their roles in fleecing $2 million from residents’ monthly maintenance fees. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026 Before that crackdown, the government had brought fraud charges against dozens of people, many of them Somali Americans, who were accused of fleecing a federal program that was meant to provide food to children. Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleecing
Noun
  • Thomas Peters, who had been Feuer’s chief of civil litigation, entered a guilty plea in 2022 to aiding and abetting extortion in an attempt to cover up what the city attorney’s office had done.
    The Editorial Board, Daily News, 20 May 2026
  • Federal prosecutors allege Flores was part of the inner circle of TdA leadership operating in Bogota, Colombia, overseeing a network involved in cocaine trafficking, extortion, and prostitution.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Greg de la Garza, Miami The Republican Party of Florida is cheating and getting away with it.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
  • In the course of reality TV’s 20-some-odd years golden era, a cheating scandal is almost as certain as a public screaming match in an unsuspecting local restaurant.
    Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • The ancient Greek sport of pankration employed techniques from the more structured disciplines of boxing and wrestling, with no rules except for prohibitions on eye-gouging and biting.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
  • What Raiff has seen is price-gouging at private airports and terminals.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • After squeezing the game’s final out, first baseman Leyton MacPherson casually flipped the ball in the air, joined her teammate in a sprint toward Spangler, and gloves began flying.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
  • After a week of squeezing through the dangerous, mazelike cave network, divers Mikko Paasi and Norrased Palasing emerged from its muddy waters Wednesday to find a cause for hope.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • The only thing that prevented a shutout was Ross Colton plucking in a rebound off Brent Burns’ sniper off Hart’s chest.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
  • The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft.
    Eduardo Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
  • Over the past few years, Google has been hustling to reinvent its business for the AI age, trying to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page as chatbots from startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic become more popular.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Wirtz went out for a meal with Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez last weekend, some 24 hours after the Egyptian had caused a stir with his stinging critique of the team’s performances on social media.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 23 May 2026
  • Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
Verb
  • Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
  • Finally, the professional will install hangers to reinforce your gutters before screwing the mesh guard on top.
    Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 4 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fleecing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleecing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

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