- present participle of fetch.
fetching
Americanadjective
adjective
-
attractively befitting
a fetching hat
-
charming
a fetching personality
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fetching
Explanation
To be fetching is to be attractive and beautitful. A fetching woman catches people's interest. When a dog fetches something, he grabs it, just like attractive sights take your interest. Fetching is a word for sights that capture your interest because of their beauty. Usually, this word applies to females: you're most likely to read about a lovely, fetching woman. A beautiful woman who everyone looks at is fetching: she grabs their attention. You could also say other things, like a gorgeous mountain or a well-designed building, are fetching if they grab your attention.
Vocabulary lists containing fetching
The Downstairs Girl
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The Shakespeare Stealer
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Moon Over Manifest
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Edinburgh's own Duke of Wellington statue, outside Register House in the city centre, was spotted sporting fetching, orange headwear earlier this week.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Malbon notes that many of these stocks are no longer fetching giant premiums to the broader market, either.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
Chiedza, who could not swim, got out of her depth while fetching a volleyball from the sea while playing with her 11-year-old cousin.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Palantir, with an even more enthusiastic fan base, was among the 20 most valuable S&P 500 companies at its November peak, fetching a ludicrous 150 times sales.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
“Oh, come on. It’s just that I’ve been fetching a lot lately, and I’m busy with Ess. She won’t be any help in the tide pools, and she still can’t swim.”
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
