verb
fleece
To cheat someone out of money.
Dishonest contractors fleece homeowners by charging for repairs they never make.
Etymology
The inherited noun names the woolly coat removed from a sheep. Fleecing a person transfers that stripping action to taking away that person's money by deceit.
More examples
- The fake charity fleeced donors out of thousands of dollars.
- That mechanic fleeces customers by billing them for unnecessary repairs.
- She discovers that her financial adviser has been fleecing her for years.
Forms
fleece · fleeces · fleeced · fleecing
Similar words
- swindle
- Emphasizes a deceptive scheme rather than simply taking unfair advantage.
- defraud
- More formal than fleece and common in legal contexts.