Fetch vs. Get — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 28, 2023
"Fetch" means to go and bring something back, while "Get" is a broader term that means to obtain, receive, or acquire something.
Difference Between Fetch and Get
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fetch" and "Get" are both verbs commonly used in the English language, but they differ in nuance and specificity. "Fetch" primarily denotes the act of going to a place to retrieve an item or individual and then returning. It often implies a journey or some effort to go and bring something back. For instance, one might "fetch" a pail of water from a well or "fetch" a sibling from school.
"Get," on the other hand, possesses a more general meaning. It can encapsulate the act of obtaining, receiving, or acquiring something. While "get" can sometimes overlap with "fetch" in terms of retrieving, it doesn't necessarily indicate a return journey. One can "get" a gift on their birthday or "get" a message from a friend.
Another notable distinction is the formality and regional usage. "Fetch" often sounds more formal and might be used less frequently in daily American English conversation than "get." However, in some contexts, particularly in other English-speaking regions, "fetch" might be more prevalent.
Furthermore, "get" has several other meanings and uses in various contexts. For example, one can "get" tired, "get" going, or "get" understanding about a subject. Such diverse applications make "get" a more versatile word in comparison to "fetch."
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
To go and bring something back.
To obtain, receive, or acquire.
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Implied Movement
Often implies a return journey.
Does not necessarily imply a journey.
Formality
Generally more formal.
More commonly used in everyday language.
Versatility
Specific to retrieval.
Has varied meanings across different contexts.
Overlap in Usage
Can sometimes be used in place of "get" for retrieval.
Can be used in contexts where "fetch" may not be appropriate.
Compare with Definitions
Fetch
To go to another place to get something or someone and return.
Can you fetch the mail from the mailbox?
Get
To receive or obtain something.
I'll get a coffee, please.
Fetch
To bring or pull towards oneself.
The dog managed to fetch the stick from the river.
Get
To understand or grasp something.
I didn't get the joke at first.
Fetch
To draw in breath sharply.
The cold water made her fetch a breath.
Get
Come to have (something); receive
I got a letter from him the other day
What kind of reception did you get?
Fetch
Go for and then bring back (someone or something) for someone
He ran to fetch help
She fetched me a cup of tea
Get
Succeed in attaining, achieving, or experiencing; obtain
He got a teaching job in California
I need all the sleep I can get
Fetch
Achieve (a particular price) when sold
The land could fetch over a million pounds
Get
Reach or cause to reach a specified state or condition
I need to get my hair cut
He'd got thinner
It's getting late
You'll get used to it
Fetch
Inflict (a blow or slap) on (someone)
That brute Cullam fetched him a wallop
Get
Come, go, or make progress eventually or with some difficulty
Nigel got home very late
He hadn't got very far with the book yet
Fetch
Cause great interest or delight in (someone)
That air of his always fetches women
Get
See have
Fetch
The distance travelled by wind or waves across open water.
Get
Catch or apprehend (someone)
The police have got him
Fetch
A stratagem or trick.
Get
Understand (an argument or the person making it)
What do you mean? I don't get it
Fetch
The apparition or double of a living person, formerly believed to be a warning of that person's impending death.
Get
Acquire (knowledge) by study; learn
That knowledge which is gotten at school
Fetch
To come or go after and take or bring back
The puppy fetched the stick that I had tossed.
Get
An animal's offspring.
Fetch
To cause to come.
Get
A person whom the speaker dislikes or despises.
Fetch
To bring in as a price
Fetched a thousand dollars at auction.
Get
To come into possession or use of; receive
Got a cat for her birthday.
Fetch
To interest or attract.
Get
To meet with or incur
Got nothing but trouble for her efforts.
Fetch
To draw in (breath); inhale.
Get
To go after and obtain
Got a book at the library.
Got breakfast in town.
Fetch
To bring forth (a sigh, for example) with obvious effort.
Get
To go after and bring
Get me a pillow.
Fetch
(Informal) To deliver (a blow) by striking; deal.
Get
To purchase; buy
Get groceries.
Fetch
(Nautical) To arrive at; reach
Fetched port after a month at sea.
Get
To acquire as a result of action or effort
He got his information from the internet. You can't get water out of a stone.
Fetch
To go after something and return with it.
Get
To earn
Got high marks in math.
Fetch
To retrieve killed game. Used of a hunting dog.
Get
To accomplish or attain as a result of military action.
Fetch
To take an indirect route.
Get
To obtain by concession or request
Couldn't get the time off.
Got permission to go.
Fetch
To hold a course.
Get
To arrive at; reach
When did you get home?.
Fetch
To turn about; veer.
Get
To reach and board; catch
She got her plane two minutes before takeoff.
Fetch
The act or an instance of fetching.
Get
To succeed in communicating with, as by telephone
Can't get me at the office until nine.
Fetch
A stratagem or trick.
Get
To become affected with (an illness, for example) by infection or exposure; catch
Get the flu.
Got the mumps.
Fetch
The distance over which a wind blows.
Get
To be subjected to; undergo
Got a severe concussion.
Fetch
The distance traveled by waves with no obstruction.
Get
To receive as retribution or punishment
Got six years in prison for tax fraud.
Fetch
A ghost; an apparition.
Get
To sustain a specified injury to
Got my arm broken.
Fetch
A doppelgänger.
Get
To perceive or become aware of by one of the senses
Get a whiff of perfume.
Got a look at the schedule.
Fetch
To retrieve; to bear towards; to go and get.
Get
To gain or have understanding of
Do you get this question?.
Fetch
To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.
If you put some new tyres on it, and clean it up a bit, the car should fetch about $5,000
Get
To learn (a poem, for example) by heart; memorize.
Fetch
(nautical) To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.
To fetch headway or sternway
Get
To find or reach by calculating
Get a total.
Can't get the answer.
Fetch
(intransitive) To bring oneself; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward.
Get
To procreate; beget
“Is my life given me for nothing but to get children and work to bring them up?” (D.H. Lawrence).
Fetch
To take (a breath), to heave (a sigh)
Get
To cause to become or be in a specified state or condition
Got the children tired and cross.
Got the shirt clean.
Fetch
To cause to come; to bring to a particular state.
Get
To make ready; prepare
Get lunch for the family.
Fetch
(obsolete) To recall from a swoon; to revive; sometimes with to.
To fetch a man to
Get
To cause to come or go
Got the car through traffic.
Fetch
To reduce; to throw.
Get
To cause to move or leave
Get me out of here!.
Fetch
(archaic) To accomplish; to achieve; to perform, with certain objects or actions.
To fetch a compass;
To fetch a leap
Get
To cause to undertake or perform; prevail on
Got the guide to give us the complete tour.
Fetch
To make (a pump) draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle.
Get
To take, especially by force; seize
The detective got the suspect as he left the restaurant.
Fetch
An act of fetching, of bringing something from a distance.
Get
(Informal) To overcome or destroy
The ice storm got the rose bushes.
Fetch
An act of fetching data.
A fetch from a cache
Get
To evoke an emotional response or reaction in
Romantic music really gets me.
Fetch
The object of fetching; the source of an attraction; a force, propensity, or quality which attracts.
Get
To annoy or irritate
What got me was his utter lack of initiative.
Fetch
An area over which wind is blowing (over water) and generating waves.
Get
To present a difficult problem to; puzzle
“It's the suspect's indifference that gets me,” the detective said.
Fetch
The length of such an area; the distance a wave can travel across a body of water (without obstruction).
Get
To take revenge on, especially to kill in revenge for a wrong.
Fetch
A stratagem or trick; an artifice.
Get
(Informal) To hit or strike
She got him on the chin. The bullet got him in the arm.
Fetch
The apparition of a living person; a person's double, the sight of which is supposedly a sign that they are fated to die soon, a doppelganger; a ghost]], a spectre.
Get
(Baseball) To put out or strike out
Got the batter with a cut fastball.
Fetch
(Utah) Minced oath for fuck.
Get
To begin or start. Used with the present participle
I have to get working on this or I'll miss my deadline.
Fetch
To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get.
Time will run back and fetch the age of gold.
He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
Get
To have current possession of. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present
We've got plenty of cash.
Fetch
To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.
Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices.
Get
(Nonstandard) To have current possession of. Used in the past tense form with the meaning of the present
They got a nice house in town.
Fetch
To recall from a swoon; to revive; - sometimes with to; as, to fetch a man to.
Fetching men again when they swoon.
Get
To have as an obligation. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present
I have got to leave early. You've got to do the dishes.
Fetch
To reduce; to throw.
The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.
Get
(Nonstandard) To have as an obligation. Used in the past tense with the meaning of the present
They got to clean up this mess.
Fetch
To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh.
I'll fetch a turn about the garden.
He fetches his blow quick and sure.
Get
To become or grow to be
Eventually got well.
Fetch
To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.
Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetchedThe siren's isle.
Get
To be successful in coming or going
When will we get to Dallas?.
Fetch
To cause to come; to bring to a particular state.
They could n't fetch the butter in the churn.
Get
To be able or permitted
Never got to see Europe.
Finally got to work at home.
Fetch
To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward.
Get
To be successful in becoming
Get free of a drug problem.
Fetch
A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice.
Every little fetch of wit and criticism.
Get
Used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive voice auxiliary
Got stung by a bee.
Fetch
The apparation of a living person; a wraith.
The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp.
Get
To become drawn in, entangled, or involved
Got into debt.
Get into a hassle.
Fetch
The unobstructed region of the ocean over which the wind blows to generate waves.
Get
(Informal) To depart immediately
Yelled at the dog to get.
Fetch
The length of such a region.
Get
To work for gain or profit; make money
Do you feel as though you're exhausting yourself getting and not making enough for spending?.
Fetch
Go or come after and bring or take back;
Get me those books over there, please
Could you bring the wine?
The dog fetched the hat
Get
Progeny; offspring
A thoroughbred's get.
Fetch
Be sold for a certain price;
The painting brought $10,000
The old print fetched a high price at the auction
Get
Chiefly British Slang git2.
Fetch
Take away or remove;
The devil will fetch you!
Get
(Sports) A return, as in tennis, on a shot that seems impossible to reach.
Fetch
To achieve a particular price when sold.
The antique vase fetched a high price at auction.
Get
A document presented by a husband to his wife whereby a divorce is effected between them according to Jewish religious law.
Fetch
To cause a result or condition.
His comments fetched a surprised reaction from the audience.
Get
A divorce effected by a get.
Get
(ditransitive) To obtain; to acquire.
I'm going to get a computer tomorrow from the discount store.
Lance is going to get Mary a ring.
Get
(transitive) To receive.
I got a computer from my parents for my birthday.
You need to get permission to leave early.
He got a severe reprimand for that.
Get
To have. See usage notes.
I've got a concert ticket for you.
Get
(transitive) To fetch, bring, take.
Can you get my bag from the living-room, please?
I need to get this to the office.
Get
(copulative) To become, or cause oneself to become.
I'm getting hungry; how about you?
I'm going out to get drunk.
Get
(transitive) To cause to become; to bring about.
That song gets me so depressed every time I hear it.
I'll get this finished by lunchtime.
I can't get these boots off (or on).
Get
(transitive) To cause to do.
Somehow she got him to agree to it.
I can't get it to work.
Get
(transitive) To cause to come or go or move.
I got him to his room.
Get
To adopt, assume, arrive at, or progress towards (a certain position, location, state).
The actors are getting into position.
When are we going to get to London?
I'm getting into a muddle.
We got behind the wall.
Get
(transitive) To cover (a certain distance) while travelling.
To get a mile
Get
(intransitive) To begin (doing something or to do something).
We ought to get moving or we'll be late.
After lunch we got chatting.
I'm getting to like him better now.
Get
(transitive) To take or catch (a scheduled transportation service).
I normally get the 7:45 train.
I'll get the 9 a.m. [flight] to Boston.
Get
(transitive) To respond to (a telephone call, a doorbell, etc).
Can you get that call, please? I'm busy.
Get
To be able, be permitted, or have the opportunity (to do something desirable or ironically implied to be desirable).
I'm so jealous that you got to see them perform live!
The finders get to keep 80 percent of the treasure.
Great. I get to clean the toilets today.
Get
To be told; be the recipient of (a question, comparison, opinion, etc.).
"You look just like Helen Mirren." / "I get that a lot."
Get
(informal) To be. Used to form the passive of verbs.
He got bitten by a dog.
Get
(transitive) To become ill with or catch (a disease).
I went on holiday and got malaria.
Get
To catch out, trick successfully.
He keeps calling pretending to be my boss—it gets me every time.
Get
To perplex, stump.
That question's really got me.
Get
(transitive) To find as an answer.
What did you get for question four?
Get
To bring to reckoning; to catch (as a criminal); to effect retribution.
The cops finally got me.
I'm gonna get him for that.
Get
(transitive) To hear completely; catch.
Sorry, I didn't get that. Could you repeat it?
Get
(transitive) To getter.
I put the getter into the container to get the gases.
Get
To beget (of a father).
Get
(archaic) To learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; sometimes with out.
To get a lesson;
To get out one's Greek lesson
Get
Used with a personal pronoun to indicate that someone is being pretentious or grandiose.
Get her with her new hairdo.
Get
To go, to leave; to scram.
Get
(euphemism) To kill.
They’re coming to get you, Barbara.
Get
To make acquisitions; to gain; to profit.
Get
(transitive) To measure.
Did you get her temperature?
Get
(dated) Offspring.
Get
Lineage.
Get
A difficult return or block of a shot.
Get
(informal) Something gained; an acquisition.
Get
A git.
Get
(Judaism) A Jewish writ of divorce.
Get
Jet, the mineral.
Get
Fashion; manner; custom.
Get
Artifice; contrivance.
Get
Offspring; progeny; as, the get of a stallion.
Get
A divorce granted by a Rabbi in accordance with Jewish law; also, the document attesting to the divorce.
Get
To procure; to obtain; to gain possession of; to acquire; to earn; to obtain as a price or reward; to come by; to win, by almost any means; as, to get favor by kindness; to get wealth by industry and economy; to get land by purchase, etc.
Get
Hence, with have and had, to come into or be in possession of; to have.
Thou hast got the face of man.
Get
To beget; to procreate; to generate.
I had rather to adopt a child than get it.
Get
To obtain mental possession of; to learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; as to get a lesson; also with out; as, to get out one's Greek lesson.
It being harder with him to get one sermon by heart, than to pen twenty.
Get
To prevail on; to induce; to persuade.
Get him to say his prayers.
Get
To procure to be, or to cause to be in any state or condition; - with a following participle.
Those things I bid you do; get them dispatched.
Get
To betake; to remove; - in a reflexive use.
Get thee out from this land.
He . . . got himself . . . to the strong town of Mega.
Get
To make acquisition; to gain; to profit; to receive accessions; to be increased.
We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get.
Get
To arrive at, or bring one's self into, a state, condition, or position; to come to be; to become; - with a following adjective or past participle belonging to the subject of the verb; as, to get sober; to get awake; to get beaten; to get elected.
To get rid of fools and scoundrels.
His chariot wheels get hot by driving fast.
Get
Come into the possession of something concrete or abstract;
She got a lot of paintings from her uncle
They acquired a new pet
Get your results the next day
Get permission to take a few days off from work
Get
Enter or assume a certain state or condition;
He became annoyed when he heard the bad news
It must be getting more serious
Her face went red with anger
She went into ecstasy
Get going!
Get
Cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition;
He got his squad on the ball
This let me in for a big surprise
He got a girl into trouble
Get
Receive a specified treatment (abstract);
These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation
His movie received a good review
I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions
Get
Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress;
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight
Get
Go or come after and bring or take back;
Get me those books over there, please
Could you bring the wine?
The dog fetched the hat
Get
Of mental or physical states or experiences;
Get an idea
Experience vertigo
Get nauseous
Undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
Receive injuries
Have a feeling
Get
Take vengeance on or get even;
We'll get them!
That'll fix him good!
This time I got him
Get
Achieve a point or goal;
Nicklaus had a 70
The Brazilian team got 4 goals
She made 29 points that day
Get
Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;
The ads induced me to buy a VCR
My children finally got me to buy a computer
My wife made me buy a new sofa
Get
Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase;
We finally got the suspect
Did you catch the thief?
Get
Come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes);
He grew a beard
The patient developed abdominal pains
I got funny spots all over my body
Well-developed breasts
Get
Be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness;
He got AIDS
She came down with pneumonia
She took a chill
Get
Communicate with a place or person; establish communication with, as if by telephone;
Bill called this number and he got Mary
The operator couldn't get Kobe because of the earthquake
Get
Give certain properties to something;
Get someone mad
She made us look silly
He made a fool of himself at the meeting
Don't make this into a big deal
This invention will make you a millionaire
Make yourself clear
Get
Move into a desired direction of discourse;
What are you driving at?
Get
Grasp with the mind or develop an undersatnding of;
Did you catch that allusion?
We caught something of his theory in the lecture
Don't catch your meaning
Did you get it?
She didn't get the joke
I just don't get him
Get
Attract and fix;
His look caught her
She caught his eye
Catch the attention of the waiter
Get
Reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot;
The rock caught her in the back of the head
The blow got him in the back
The punch caught him in the stomach
Get
Reach by calculation;
What do you get when you add up these numbers?
Get
Acquire as a result of some effort or action;
You cannot get water out of a stone
Where did she get these news?
Get
Purchase;
What did you get at the toy store?
Get
Perceive by hearing;
I didn't catch your name
She didn't get his name when they met the first time
Get
Suffer from the receipt of;
She will catch hell for this behavior!
Get
Receive as a retribution or punishment;
He got 5 years in prison
Get
Leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form;
Scram!
Get
Reach and board;
She got the bus just as it was leaving
Get
Irritate;
Her childish behavior really get to me
His lying really gets me
Get
Evoke an emotional response;
Brahms's `Requiem' gets me every time
Get
Apprehend and reproduce accurately;
She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings
She got the mood just right in her photographs
Get
In baseball: earn or achieve a base by being walked by the pitcher;
He drew a base on balls
Get
Overcome or destroy;
The ice storm got my hibiscus
The cat got the goldfish
Get
Be a mystery or bewildering to;
This beats me!
Got me--I don't know the answer!
A vexing problem
This question really stuck me
Get
Take the first step or steps in carrying out an action;
We began working at dawn
Who will start?
Get working as soon as the sun rises!
The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia
He began early in the day
Let's get down to work now
Get
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Get
Make children;
Abraham begot Isaac
Men often father children but don't recognize them
Get
To reach or arrive at a particular state or condition.
It's getting late; we should head home.
Get
To cause something or someone to be in a particular condition or place.
Can you get the car ready by noon?
Get
To become affected by something.
He got sick after the trip.
Common Curiosities
Can "get" be used to denote a change in state?
Yes, as in "get ready" or "get tired."
Are "fetch" and "get" interchangeable?
Not always. While both can refer to obtaining, "fetch" specifically means to go and bring back.
Can "get" mean to understand?
Yes, in contexts like "I get what you mean," it means to understand.
Is "fetch" always about physically bringing something?
Mostly, but it can also refer to achieving a price or causing a reaction.
Is "fetch" more formal than "get"?
Generally, "fetch" can sound more formal than "get" in American English.
Are there idiomatic expressions with "get"?
Yes, many, like "get going" or "get a grip."
Which word is more common in daily use?
"Get" is more commonly used in everyday American English than "fetch."
Does "fetch" always imply a return journey?
It typically implies going somewhere to retrieve something and then coming back.
Can "fetch" refer to achieving a certain price?
Yes, as in "The painting fetched a high price."
Is "get" more versatile than "fetch"?
Yes, "get" has various meanings across different contexts.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
