diff --git a/lib/fetch/index.js b/lib/fetch/index.js
index 4713ab7eb25..f9b09547edb 100644
--- a/lib/fetch/index.js
+++ b/lib/fetch/index.js
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ const {
   isBlobLike,
   sameOrigin,
   isCancelled,
-  isAborted
+  isAborted,
+  isErrorLike
 } = require('./util')
 const { kState, kHeaders, kGuard, kRealm } = require('./symbols')
 const assert = require('assert')
@@ -1854,7 +1855,7 @@ async function httpNetworkFetch (
       timingInfo.decodedBodySize += bytes?.byteLength ?? 0
 
       // 6. If bytes is failure, then terminate fetchParams’s controller.
-      if (bytes instanceof Error) {
+      if (isErrorLike(bytes)) {
         fetchParams.controller.terminate(bytes)
         return
       }
@@ -1894,7 +1895,7 @@ async function httpNetworkFetch (
       // 3. Otherwise, if stream is readable, error stream with a TypeError.
       if (isReadable(stream)) {
         fetchParams.controller.controller.error(new TypeError('terminated', {
-          cause: reason instanceof Error ? reason : undefined
+          cause: isErrorLike(reason) ? reason : undefined
         }))
       }
     }
diff --git a/lib/fetch/response.js b/lib/fetch/response.js
index 4649a5da907..526259478d4 100644
--- a/lib/fetch/response.js
+++ b/lib/fetch/response.js
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ const {
   isCancelled,
   isAborted,
   isBlobLike,
-  serializeJavascriptValueToJSONString
+  serializeJavascriptValueToJSONString,
+  isErrorLike
 } = require('./util')
 const {
   redirectStatus,
@@ -347,15 +348,15 @@ function makeResponse (init) {
 }
 
 function makeNetworkError (reason) {
+  const isError = isErrorLike(reason)
   return makeResponse({
     type: 'error',
     status: 0,
-    error:
-      reason instanceof Error
-        ? reason
-        : new Error(reason ? String(reason) : reason, {
-          cause: reason instanceof Error ? reason : undefined
-        }),
+    error: isError
+      ? reason
+      : new Error(reason ? String(reason) : reason, {
+        cause: isError ? reason : undefined
+      }),
     aborted: reason && reason.name === 'AbortError'
   })
 }
diff --git a/lib/fetch/util.js b/lib/fetch/util.js
index 17c68162980..9806e331871 100644
--- a/lib/fetch/util.js
+++ b/lib/fetch/util.js
@@ -82,6 +82,13 @@ function isFileLike (object) {
   )
 }
 
+function isErrorLike (object) {
+  return object instanceof Error || (
+    object?.constructor?.name === 'Error' ||
+    object?.constructor?.name === 'DOMException'
+  )
+}
+
 // Check whether |statusText| is a ByteString and
 // matches the Reason-Phrase token production.
 // RFC 2616: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2616
@@ -469,5 +476,6 @@ module.exports = {
   makeIterator,
   isValidHeaderName,
   isValidHeaderValue,
-  hasOwn
+  hasOwn,
+  isErrorLike
 }
diff --git a/test/jest/instanceof-error.test.js b/test/jest/instanceof-error.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0422bfac76b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/jest/instanceof-error.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const { createServer } = require('http')
+const { once } = require('events')
+
+/* global expect, it, jest, AbortController */
+
+// https://github.com/facebook/jest/issues/11607#issuecomment-899068995
+jest.useRealTimers()
+
+const runIf = (condition) => condition ? it : it.skip
+const nodeMajor = Number(process.versions.node.split('.', 1)[0])
+
+runIf(nodeMajor >= 16)('isErrorLike sanity check', () => {
+  const { isErrorLike } = require('../../lib/fetch/util')
+  const { DOMException } = require('../../lib/fetch/constants')
+  const error = new DOMException('')
+
+  // https://github.com/facebook/jest/issues/2549
+  expect(error instanceof Error).toBeFalsy()
+  expect(isErrorLike(error)).toBeTruthy()
+})
+
+runIf(nodeMajor >= 16)('Real use-case', async () => {
+  const { fetch } = require('../..')
+
+  const ac = new AbortController()
+  ac.abort()
+
+  const server = createServer((req, res) => {
+    res.end()
+  }).listen(0)
+
+  await once(server, 'listening')
+
+  const promise = fetch(`https://localhost:${server.address().port}`, {
+    signal: ac.signal
+  })
+
+  await expect(promise).rejects.toThrowError('The operation was aborted.')
+
+  server.close()
+  await once(server, 'close')
+})