Illustration of dovetail
- 1 mortises
- 2 tenons
- 3 joint
: 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)
dovetailed; dovetailing; dovetails
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
: to fit together into a whole
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
Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
The emphasis on family dovetails with a previous statement from showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar that revealed the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2025
And that’s playing into the hands of those whose decade-long labels dovetailed into high jewelry debuts.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
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Noun
Ah Loo strung individual white dovetail shells into a cape-like shape reminiscent of Hawaiian ʻahu ʻula — a feather cloak worn by ancient Hawaiian royalty, according to Vogue.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
The emphasis on family dovetails with a previous statement from showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar that revealed the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
Years ago, editorial would have been the no-brainer format to explore such a winding saga, but a decline in the popularity (and existence) of traditional media outlets dovetailed with the rise of new media options.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2025
And that’s playing into the hands of those whose decade-long labels dovetailed into high jewelry debuts.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
a
: to join by means of dovetails
b
: to cut to a dovetail
2
: to fit skillfully together to form a whole
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