What does "fleece" mean?
Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
Fleece
/fliːs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal
- Grammar: fleece is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: wool, alabaster, bare, beat.
- Useful contrasts: compensate, cotton fabric, keep.
- Usage evidence: Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.
How to use "fleece"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fleece" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fleece" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fleece" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fleece" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fleece" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "wool" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fleece", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Hair or wool of a sheep or similar animal uncountable
"The Sun ſhall change, the Moon to change ſhall ceaſe; / The Gaits to clim-----the Sheep to yield the Fleece, / Ere ought by me be either ſaid or done, / Shall do thee Wrang, I ſwear by all aboon."
- 2 outer coat of especially sheep and yaks wordnet
- 3 Insulating skin with the wool attached uncountable
- 4 a soft bulky fabric with deep pile; used chiefly for clothing wordnet
- 5 A textile similar to velvet, but with a longer pile that gives it a softness and a higher sheen. countable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 tanned skin of a sheep with the fleece left on; used for clothing wordnet
- 7 An insulating wooly jacket countable
- 8 the wool of a sheep or similar animal wordnet
- 9 Mat or felts composed of fibers, sometimes used as a membrane backer. countable, uncountable
- 10 Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece. countable, uncountable
"Alas! in the morning the eaglet was gone; and, full of sorrow, they stooped to pick up the shining fleece with which the floor was spread. At their touch, every feather became a golden coin."
- 11 The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To con or trick (someone) out of money. transitive
"There is a difference between bookmaking, an entirely respectable profession, and fleecing people, which isn’t."
- 2 shear the wool from wordnet
- 3 To cut off the fleece from (a sheep or other animal). transitive
"During spring shearing we have to fleece all the sheep in just a few days."
- 4 rip off; ask an unreasonable price wordnet
- 5 To cover with, or as if with, wool. transitive
Antonyms
Example
"Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fleece"?
Common synonyms include: wool, alabaster, bare, beat, beguile, beguile of.
How do you use "fleece" in a sentence?
Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.
How do you pronounce "fleece"?
Pronounced /fliːs/.
Etymology
From Middle English flees, flese, flus, fleos, from Old English flēos, flīes, flȳs, from Proto-West Germanic *fleus.