fleece

[flees]

noun

1. the coat of wool that covers a sheep or a similar animal.

2. the wool shorn from a sheep at one shearing.

3. something resembling a fleece.

   a fleece of clouds in a blue sky.

4. a fabric with a soft, silky pile, used for warmth, as for lining garments.

5. the soft nap or pile of such a fabric.

verb (used with object)

fleeced, fleecing 

1. to deprive of money or belongings by fraud, hoax, or the like; swindle.

   He fleeced the stranger of several dollars.

2. to remove the fleece of (a sheep).

3. to overspread, as with a fleece; fleck with fleecelike masses.

   a host of clouds fleecing the summer sky.

fleece

/ fliːs /

noun

1. the coat of wool that covers the body of a sheep or similar animal and consists of a mass of crinkly hairs

2. the wool removed from a single sheep

3. something resembling a fleece in texture or warmth

4. sheepskin or a fabric with soft pile, used as a lining for coats, etc

5. a warm polyester fabric with a brushed nap, used for outdoor garments

6. a jacket or top made from such a fabric

verb

1. to defraud or charge exorbitantly; swindle

2. another term for shear

Other Word Forms

• fleeceable adjective
• fleeceless adjective
• fleecelike adjective
• fleecer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleece¹

before 1000; Middle English flees, Old English flēos, flȳs; cognate with Middle Dutch vlies, Middle High German vlius, German Vlies

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleece¹

Old English flēos ; related to Middle High German vlius , Dutch vlies fleece, Latin plūma feather, down

Related Words

• cheat 
• defraud 
• gouge 
• overcharge 
• swindle 

When To Use

What does fleece mean?

Fleece is the outer coat of wool that covers a sheep, goat, llama, or similar animal, as in Wool made from a sheep’s fleece can be scratchy, but wool from llama’s fleece is soft and buttery.Fleece can also mean the wool collected from these animals or fabric made from it, as in Sheep farmers depend on getting good prices for recently cut fleeces to keep their farms going. Related to these senses, you can use fleece as a verb to mean shearing, or cutting, the wool off a sheep, as in The farmer’s son spent all morning fleecing the flock of sheep. Fleece also refers to fabrics or garments made from the fleece of an animal or a fabric that resembles the texture of a fleece. Coats and jackets made with polyester with a soft, silky pile are commonly referred to as fleeces.Finally, fleece is commonly used to mean cheating or swindling a person out of money, as in I was fleeced out of a hundred dollars this morning by a fake insurance salesman.  Example: Children always love touching the soft fleece of the llamas at the petting zoo.