fleece

American  

[flees] / flis /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to defraud or charge exorbitantly; swindle

2. another term for shear

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of fleece

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

Explanation

A fleece is a sheep's coat. Or a goat's. Or a yak's. A person's coat can be called a fleece, too, if it comes from a sheep or goat or a yak or even if it just looks like it did. You can also use fleece in an informal way to mean cheating someone. Remember how Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow? Well, it was such a nice, clean fleece that Mary tricked the lamb into trusting her, then robbed him of his fleece and turned it into a bomber jacket and a pair of boots. She totally fleeced him!

Example Sentences

His outfit, an Off White hoodie and a fleece bucket hat with a tortoise on the front, is just as uplifting and whimsical as his attitude.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Instead, gazing back at me was a 44-year-old mom in an ill-fitting fleece, the style just as unflattering as it was all those years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

This is worse because her attorney took an oath — to do no harm and protect his client, not fleece her.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

The physical burden of carrying a heavy fleece, Ann says, can also restrict the animal's movement for grazing which means they end up eating less and becoming under-nourished.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

She sees the fleece blanket on the beanbag chair.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

Related Words

• cheat
• defraud
• gouge
• overcharge
• swindle