dovetail

1 of 2

noun

dove·​tail ˈdəv-ˌtāl 

: something resembling a dove's tail

especially : a flaring tenon and a mortise into which it fits tightly making an interlocking joint between two pieces (as of wood)

Illustration of dovetail

• 1 mortises
• 2 tenons
• 3 joint

dovetail

2 of 2

verb

dovetailed; dovetailing; dovetails

transitive verb

1

a

: to join by means of dovetails

b

: to cut to a dovetail

2

a

: to fit skillfully to form a whole

b

: to fit together with

intransitive verb

: to fit together into a whole

Synonyms

Verb

• accord
• agree
• answer
• check
• chord
• cohere
• coincide
• comport
• conform
• consist
• correspond
• fit
• go
• harmonize
• jibe
• rhyme
• rime
• sort
• square
• tally

Examples of dovetail in a Sentence

Verb

the Union and the Confederate accounts of the battle don't dovetail at all

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The March 6 number dovetails with a Gallup poll released in late February that found just 33% of Democrats have a favorable view of Israel, compared with 83% of Republicans. —Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2025

The rails slide into a dovetail groove in the main crossbars. —Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2025

Verb

Our study dovetails this research and identifies a specific context in which investors view corporate taxes favorably. —Curtis Farnsel, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2025

The offering dovetails with research showing nature helps people deal with difficult feelings. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for dovetail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

dovetail

1 of 2 noun

dove·​tail -ˌtāl 

: something shaped like a dove's tail

especially : a joint between two pieces (as of wood) formed by a wedge-shaped part that fits tightly into a wedge-shaped slot in the other piece

dovetail

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to join by means of dovetails

b

: to cut to a dovetail

2

: to fit skillfully together to form a whole