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
Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 12 June 2025
But the movie’s verité style of thumbnail portraiture doesn’t always dovetail neatly with the other elements: the unloading of facts, getting those drone shots in and projecting a thriller-like atmosphere.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 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
Democrats said the incident dovetailed with Trump’s heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 12 June 2025
But the movie’s verité style of thumbnail portraiture doesn’t always dovetail neatly with the other elements: the unloading of facts, getting those drone shots in and projecting a thriller-like atmosphere.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 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 25 Jul. 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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