English Dictionary

Definition of “fetching

fetching (ˈfɛtʃɪŋPronunciation for fetching

Definitions

adjective

informal 
  1. attractively befitting  ⇒ a fetching hat 
  2. charming  ⇒ a fetching personality 

Alternative Forms

ˈfetchingly adverb

1fetch1 (fɛtʃPronunciation for fetch1

Definitions

verb (mainly tr)

  1. to go after and bring back; get  ⇒ to fetch help 
  2. to cause to come; bring or draw forth  ⇒ the noise fetched him from the cellar 
  3. (also intr) to cost or sell for (a certain price)  ⇒ the table fetched six hundred pounds 
  4. to utter (a sigh, groan, etc)
  5. informal to deal (a blow, slap, etc)
  6. (also intr) nautical to arrive at or proceed by sailing
  7. informal to attract  ⇒ to be fetched by an idea 
  8. (used esp as a command to dogs) to retrieve (shot game, an object thrown, etc)
  9. rare to draw in (a breath, gasp, etc), esp with difficulty
  10. See fetch and carry

noun

  1. the reach, stretch, etc, of a mechanism
  2. a trick or stratagem
  3. the distance in the direction of the prevailing wind that air or water can travel continuously without obstruction

Word Origin

Old English feccan;  related to Old Norse feta  to step, Old High German sih fazzōn to climb

Usage examples

  • I was aware of her fetching another bottle, then of her rubbing something cool into my skin.
    Harris, Elizabeth, Time of the Wolf (1994)
  • Women, who spend most of their time fetching water, will be involved in cottage industry.
    India Today (2001)
  • Another is a young band that comprises five fetching females is guaranteed a certain amount of attention.
    Ottawa Sun (2003)
  • The youngster had been fetching a pint of milk for his mum Linda in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
    Sun, News of the World (2001)
  • He headed south, fetching up on Mason-MacFarlane's doorstep in Gibraltar.
    Martin Allen, THE HITLER-HESS DECEPTION (2003)

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