Fleece is the soft, thick coat of wool that covers a sheep. When farmers shear their sheep in spring, they carefully cut off this woolly layer, which can come off in one piece, like removing a fuzzy sweater. The fleece then gets cleaned, spun into yarn, and woven into warm clothing and blankets.

The word also refers to fabric made to feel like sheep's wool: soft, warm, and slightly fuzzy. A fleece jacket keeps you cozy on cold days because it traps warm air close to your body, just like a sheep's natural coat protects it from winter weather.

As a verb, to fleece someone means to cheat them out of their money, often through overcharging or trickery. If a store charges tourists five times the normal price for a bottle of water, people might say the store is fleecing them. The connection makes sense: just as a shepherd removes a sheep's valuable coat, someone who fleeces you strips away your money unfairly. A con artist who fleeced investors out of their savings could face serious legal consequences.