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

And this year, the dates for Marrakech (Nov. 24-Dec. 2) and Red Sea (Nov. 30-Dec. 9) dovetail. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023

The Gates foundation policy dovetails with calls by some open-access advocates to de-emphasize the role of journal articles in quality control and professional evaluations. —Byjeffrey Brainard, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined above

Verb

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

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