fleeced

US: (flēst)

From the verb fleece: (⇒ conjugate)

fleeced is: ⓘ

v past

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fleeced  (flēst), adj. 

1. having a fleece of a specified kind (usually used in combination):
   a thick-fleeced animal.
2. Textiles covered with fleece or a fleecelike material.
3. Textiles (of a fabric) having a softly napped surface.

• fleece + -ed³ 1520–30

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

fleece /flis/   n., v., fleeced, fleec•ing. 
n. 

1. [uncountable] the coat of wool that covers a sheep or a similar animal.
2. [countable] a piece of wool shorn from a sheep.

v. [~ + object (+ of)]

3. to take money or belongings by dishonesty, fraud, or deception;
   swindle:
   The con artists fleeced the elderly couple of their savings.

fleec•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est:

a blue sky with white, fleecy clouds.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fleece  (flēs), n., v., fleeced, fleec•ing. 
n. 

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. Textiles a fabric with a soft, silky pile, used for warmth, as for lining garments.
5. Textiles the soft nap or pile of such a fabric.

v.t. 

6. to deprive of money or belongings by fraud, hoax, or the like;
   swindle:
   He fleeced the stranger of several dollars.
7. to remove the fleece of (a sheep).
8. to overspread, as with a fleece;
   fleck with fleecelike masses:
   a host of clouds fleecing the summer sky.

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

fleece′a•ble, adj. 
fleece′less, adj. 
fleece′like′, adj. 
fleec′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

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 (transitive)

1. to defraud or charge exorbitantly; swindle
2. another term for shear1

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