Thesaurus results for FLEECED

fleeced

verb

Definition of fleeced

past tense of fleece

as in cheated

to rob by the use of trickery or threats swindlers who use the telephone to fleece senior citizens out of their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fleeced The text is written on parchment made from sheep, fleeced, their hides soaked in lime, stretched and dried. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 As an example of money wasted by LAHSA’s lack of financial controls, Turner cited the recent federal indictment alleging a homeless services provider fleeced the system of $23 million in fraudulent billings. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Some television-repair programs, for example, offered free TV sets to get veterans in the door and then fleeced VA for their tuition. — Andrew Ba Tran, Washington Post, 22 July 2026 At his sentencing in 2024, Bailyn, the prosecutor, described Lorquet as a greedy criminal who fleeced his country at one of its weakest moments in history. — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026 The lesson from the parking deal is not merely that the city got fleeced by private investors. — Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026 Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is warning of another scam that fleeced local residents out of tens of thousands of dollars — this time targeting family members of inmates in the Bexar County jail. — Saul Pink, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2026 Mexican cartels have fleeced American victims for hundreds of millions of dollars through timeshare fraud over the decades, treasury officials said, targeted them through call centers staffed by English-speaking telemarketers. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026 Compared with the ostensible consequences of the prisoner’s dilemma, getting fleeced in the snowdrift problem’s scenario isn’t quite as disastrous. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeced

Verb

But the idea that girls are being cheated is personal for some athletes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Miller—who is no stranger to extramarital tabloid scandals herself—has also mastered her getting-cheated-on performances.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

Quickly, the house lights come up, and Lay and family are hustled backstage to get reacquainted.

— Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
Her mother hustled her to hospital, only for the doctors to realize Accurso’s active imagination had left her in the same predicament as Madeline’s friends.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

The rich have been stung by a surprise 20% tax on their offshore wealth, much of it squirreled away in trusts in Hong Kong and Singapore, triggering a new rush for foreign passports.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
But Wednesday’s result stung, as the 25-point defeat is the second-most lopsided season-opening loss in Heat history.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stung

Verb

Yet profits have still been squeezed as jet fuel prices surged roughly 90% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, forcing several major carriers to cut earnings forecasts.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, free cash flow at another budget carrier, JetBlue Airways, remains severely squeezed by elevated jet fuel prices.

— , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

And there’s little reasonable about looking the other way when residents say they’re being swindled or when the state’s constitution is being violated.

— Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
At one point, Fred was swindled out of upward of $15,000 when someone pretended to be the owner of a house for sale that Fred wanted to buy.

— Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of swindled

Verb

Raichlen’s career, in a way, is similar in that he’s never been stuck in the lane of writing about barbecuing only brisket and pork.

— Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Other franchises have run into the same issues — looking at you, Star Wars — but Halo has been stuck in this purgatory for 15+ years, as Xbox leaders and strategy shifts come and go.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stuck

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“Fleeced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeced. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fleeced

verb

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