Fleeced Definition
In slang, fleeced means to trick someone out of their money. Saying that you “got fleeced” is another way to say that you were scammed, ripped off, or cheated out of your money or other valuable items. This verb usually means that someone (or something, like a company) deceived and betrayed you to get your money, but it can also refer to someone robbing you. For instance, you might say that you were fleeced by a clothing company that overcharged you for a designer sweatshirt that turned out to be fake. Fleeced is usually used in the past tense because you typically discover that you were stolen from after the theft happened. However, you can use it in the present tense (“They fleece people”) or the continuous tense (“They are/were/have been fleecing people”). Pronunciation: Fleeced is pronounced like “flee-st.” It rhymes with words like “greased,” released,” and “creased.”
Literally, fleeced means to remove a sheep’s fur or be covered in wool. As a verb, “fleeced” means to strip a sheep or other wooly animal of its furry coat. As an adjective, “fleeced” refers to something that is covered or lined with wool or a similar, soft fabric. For example, you might see fleeced jackets while shopping for outerwear in the winter, which means they’re lined with soft, insulating fabric. As a noun, “fleece” is what you call a sheep’s (or other wooly animal’s) coat. It can also refer to natural and synthetic fabrics that are soft, warm, and fuzzy.
Examples of How to Use Fleeced
Use fleeced to say you were scammed or stolen from. For instance, you might tell other people that you were fleeced to warn them about buying from a company, supporting a business, or interacting with a certain person. “We got fleeced. The taxi driver said the ride would only cost $10, but when we checked our credit card, we got charged $100!” “That guy totally fleeced me! My phone was in my back pocket, he bumped into me, and now it’s gone. He must have stolen my phone!” “The travel company fleeced us. They sold us a ‘luxury package,’ but when we showed up at the hotel, it was crumbling and full of bugs.” “Don’t invite Jan back to poker night. I’m pretty sure she fleeced all of us. I saw her grab a hidden card from under her leg during the game.”
Use fleeced to talk about soft, warm, and wooly fabrics. For example, you might use “fleeced” to describe clothing and home goods or to express that things have a fluffy texture. “I love that fleeced-lined coat! It’ll definitely keep me warm while we’re in Alaska.” “Those fleeced pillows would look so cute in your room. I bet they’re super soft, too.” “That sculpture looks like it’s fleeced with wool. I bet it’s soft, too bad we can’t touch it.” “Did you read the Greek story about the golden fleeced ram? According to the myth, the hero Jason stole it to claim his rightful place as king.”
Fleeced Origins
The slang term comes from the act of shearing a sheep’s wool. When you fleece a sheep, you cut off all of its wool fur, which is a valuable item for making fabric. The sheep can’t do anything about losing its coat and looks more vulnerable without it. Similarly, when you “get fleeced,” you’re stripped of your valuables and feel taken advantage of. It’s believed that people connected the feeling of getting your money stolen by a con artist or thief to the act of fleecing a sheep of its coat. The slang definition of fleeced was first used in the 1570s. The word itself comes from the Old English and German words for a sheep’s wool coat (flies and vlies, respectively).
Related Terms
Swindled To swindle someone means to trick or cheat them out of their money or valuables. Like “fleeced,” getting swindled is another way to say that you were scammed by someone. “Our contractor completely swindled us. He charged us for replacing the cabinets, but all he did was paint over them!
Hoodwinked To be hoodwinked means to be tricked, fooled, or deceived by someone. Unlike “fleeced,” being hoodwinked doesn’t necessarily mean you were cheated out of your money or valuable possessions. Instead, it simply refers to being lied to or misled. “The teacher hoodwinked us. She told us word problems would be on the math test, but she purposely left them off the test just to get us to study!”
Bamboozled To bamboozle someone means to deceive or fool them. It’s similar to “hoodwinked” and refers to being lied to by someone so they can gain something from you, whether that’s your money or your cooperation in a task. “I think I was bamboozled into helping Marissa move. She invited me over to her place to ‘hang out’ and then asked me to take her stuff to her new place since I drive a truck.”
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