First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1fleece
noun \ˈflēs\
: the woolly coat of a sheep
: a soft cloth that is used to make warm clothes
: a jacket made from this cloth
Full Definition of FLEECE
1
a : the coat of wool covering a wool-bearing animal (as a sheep) b : the wool obtained from a sheep at one shearing
2
a : any of various soft or woolly coverings b : a soft bulky deep-piled knitted or woven fabric used chiefly for clothing
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Origin of FLEECE
Middle English flees, from Old English flēos; akin to Middle High German vlius fleece and perhaps to Latin pluma feather, down
2fleece
verb
: to deceive and take money from (someone)
fleecedfleec·ing
Full Definition of FLEECE
transitive verb
1
a : to strip of money or property by fraud or extortion b : to charge excessively for goods or services
2
: to remove the fleece from : shear
3
: to dot or cover with fleecy masses
See fleece defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of FLEECE
1537
Related to FLEECE
- Synonyms
- beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners
FLEECE[1] Defined for Kids
1fleece
noun \ˈflēs\
Definition of FLEECE for Kids
: the woolly coat of an animal and especially a sheep
2fleece
verb
fleecedfleec·ing
Definition of FLEECE for Kids
: to rob or cheat by trickery
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