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
Synonyms
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
Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
And within that, the music and the dialogue dovetail in a pretty intricate way.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2024
This is one reason parents of young children tend to clump together: Their moments of mutual distraction dovetail well at this stage of life.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023
How does that dovetail with your explanation of how myth cycles have taken root on the Internet?
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Dec. 2023
How does your work dovetail with others at NYU Tandon?
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2022
The idea of a relatively unknown Swede crafting top-shelf jazz in 2023 dovetails with the wider visibility of the genre at large, a development Wunder says may be a reaction to increasing use of AI technology in music creation.
—Jonathan Cohen, Spin, 28 Sep. 2023
Political attacks on the media dovetail with a strategy to spread false information, says Raúl Hinojosa, a UCLA professor of political science.
—Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
The shift in emphasis from private equity to debt dovetails with Rowan’s push to soften Apollo’s image.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
These findings dovetail with a gloomy Pew survey published last month.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Coincidentally or not, the release of Saint Cloud dovetailed with the beginning of a surge in cultural interest around countryish aesthetics, now seen everywhere from Beyoncé to Oliver Anthony to the rise of the proudly Southern indie rock band Wednesday.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024
That dovetailed with an account given by an aid group, ActionAid, which said that a doctor at Al-Awda maternity hospital in northern Gaza had told the group that malnourished mothers were giving birth to stillborn children.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
This assessment dovetails with a common criticism of autobiographical fiction, which holds that such work is inherently solipsistic.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
The announcement dovetails with a landmark agreement announced at the close of COP28 that signals the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.
—Judith Magyar, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
He’s worked on Savile Row at Kilgour and Hardy Amies and his outlook dovetails with Holloway’s contemporary classicism.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2024
Being home to Tesla’s legal incorporation would dovetail with a more recent state initiative: developing its own business-court system in a challenge to Delaware.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
Noun
These ties to history dovetail nicely with the Akua founders’ habit of creating collections inspired by recollections of events and people; a meal shared, for example, or a book read (Blixen takes its name from the author of Out of Africa).
Josefine Frank Arthur and Annika Zobel Agerled.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
And within that, the music and the dialogue dovetail in a pretty intricate way.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2024
This is one reason parents of young children tend to clump together: Their moments of mutual distraction dovetail well at this stage of life.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023
How does that dovetail with your explanation of how myth cycles have taken root on the Internet?
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Dec. 2023
How does your work dovetail with others at NYU Tandon?
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2022
The idea of a relatively unknown Swede crafting top-shelf jazz in 2023 dovetails with the wider visibility of the genre at large, a development Wunder says may be a reaction to increasing use of AI technology in music creation.
—Jonathan Cohen, Spin, 28 Sep. 2023
Political attacks on the media dovetail with a strategy to spread false information, says Raúl Hinojosa, a UCLA professor of political science.
—Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
The shift in emphasis from private equity to debt dovetails with Rowan’s push to soften Apollo’s image.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2023
Verb
The one-week rerelease commences Feb. 23 and will dovetail into the debut of Villeneuve’s film on March 1.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
These findings dovetail with a gloomy Pew survey published last month.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Coincidentally or not, the release of Saint Cloud dovetailed with the beginning of a surge in cultural interest around countryish aesthetics, now seen everywhere from Beyoncé to Oliver Anthony to the rise of the proudly Southern indie rock band Wednesday.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024
That dovetailed with an account given by an aid group, ActionAid, which said that a doctor at Al-Awda maternity hospital in northern Gaza had told the group that malnourished mothers were giving birth to stillborn children.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
This assessment dovetails with a common criticism of autobiographical fiction, which holds that such work is inherently solipsistic.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
The announcement dovetails with a landmark agreement announced at the close of COP28 that signals the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.
—Judith Magyar, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
He’s worked on Savile Row at Kilgour and Hardy Amies and his outlook dovetails with Holloway’s contemporary classicism.
—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2024
Being home to Tesla’s legal incorporation would dovetail with a more recent state initiative: developing its own business-court system in a challenge to Delaware.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dovetail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1573, in the meaning defined above
Verb
circa 1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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 verb1
a
: to join by means of dovetails
b
: to cut to a dovetail
2
: to fit skillfully together to form a whole
More from Merriam-Webster on dovetail
Nglish: Translation of dovetail for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dovetail for Arabic Speakers
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