fetter
Americannoun
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a chain or shackle placed on the feet.
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Usually fetters. anything that confines or restrains.
Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.
verb (used with object)
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to put fetters upon.
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to confine; restrain.
noun
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(often plural) a chain or bond fastened round the ankle; shackle
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(usually plural) a check or restraint
in fetters
verb
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to restrict or confine
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to bind in fetters
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have fetteredperfect
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has fetteredperfect 3rd person singular
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have been fetteringperfect progressive
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am fetteringprogressive 1st person singular
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fetterssingular 3rd person
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fetteringparticiple
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is fetteringprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been fetteringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are fetteringprogressive
Past
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had fetteredperfect
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had been fetteringperfect progressive
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fetteredparticiple
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was fetteringprogressive singular
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fetteredsimple
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were fetteringprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of fetter
before 900; Middle English, Old English feter; cognate with Old High German fezzera, Old Norse fjǫturr; akin to foot
Explanation
A fetter is a shackle or chain that is attached to someone’s ankles. To fetter someone is to restrict their movement, either literally or metaphorically. You might feel fettered by your parents' rules, even without the chains. A fetter is anything that secures and limits the movement of the feet and legs of a prisoner. To fetter, the verb, could be used literally: the prison wardens would fetter the chain gangs who built many of the railroads in the United States, but it usually means something has been done to restrain someone’s behavior: "we finally managed to fetter our sons’ computer use with bribery."
Vocabulary lists containing fetter
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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"The Cask Of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"The Cask of Amontillado"
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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.
“Most of it doesn’t get metabolized, meaning that we don’t extract energy from it, and it passes through and is excreted in the stool,” Fetter said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
For new building 100 Fetter Lane in London, architects Fletcher Priest and engineers Waterman have been asking suppliers to provide information for materials passports.
From BBC • Feb. 29, 2024
Though these newfangled ingredients may be exciting, the newcomers are often propped up by simple, old school methods, says Debbie Fetter, an assistant professor of teaching nutrition at UC Davis.
From National Geographic • Feb. 8, 2024
In response to persistent concerns over wages, U-Md. has increased its minimum stipend by 20 percent since 2018, said Steve Fetter, dean of the university’s graduate school.
From Washington Post • Mar. 5, 2021
It may be found on the south side of Holborn, and west of Fetter Lane, leading to Cursitor Street.
From Rambles in Dickens' Land by Allbut, Robert
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.
