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
Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
And here is where the threat from the right dovetails with the other, perhaps greater threat that Wikipedia now faces: AI.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
That dovetailed with Smart’s message.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
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Noun
The Times’ Malia Mendez sat down with members of the all-Filipino cast to discuss the ways the show’s exploration of the perils of authoritarianism dovetail with the modern political moment.
—Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
And here is where the threat from the right dovetails with the other, perhaps greater threat that Wikipedia now faces: AI.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
That Hayley — who reveals herself to be a former escort hired by Whitney — plays such a pivotal role as both a convenient victim and the one who actually procures young women for Whitney’s blackmail schemes is another point where reality and fiction begin to dovetail.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
That dovetailed with Smart’s message.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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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