e-fencing

noun

Online fencing: the use of the Internet to sell stolen merchandise.

OriginEnglish fencing →
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Meanings

noune-fencing (uncountable)
  1. uncountableOnline fencing: the use of the Internet to sell stolen merchandise.

    FBI spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan says the bureau is aware of the problem. "We do recognize e-fencing as an ongoing issue," she says.

    2005 December 14, “More shoppers finding a real steal online.”, in Daily Herald
    2 more examples

    Two new types of retail theft are gaining traction, thanks to the ubiquitous spread of technology, according to the National Retail Federation, which reports that e-fencing and gift card fraud are on the rise.

    2006 November 3, “NRF alerts retailers to e-fencing, gift card fraud”, in Home Textiles Today

    Scott, the Newport News Democrat who chairs the House subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, has heard from merchants for years about the growing problem of e-fencing.

    2008 August 26, “Thieves turn to online auction sites to move stolen goods”, in Virginian-Pilot

Origin

  1. Englishelectronic
  2. Englishe-
  3. Englishfencing
  4. Englishe-fencing

From e- + fencing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

e-fencing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/e-fencing

MLA

“e-fencing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/e-fencing. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “e-fencing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/e-fencing.

Source: e-fencing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.