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 of dovetail

Verb

• coincide
• correspond
• conform
• fit

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

The surge in stocks with a negative beta dovetails with other unusual market signals. — Deena Zaidi,nick Wells, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

Improvements in blood tests, meanwhile, dovetail with rapid developments in treatments for various cancers, making the disease ever more survivable or even curable. — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 22 June 2026

Verb

Ayad’s account of recuperation dovetails with a campus scandal. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

The freight push dovetails with Gulf governments’ longer-running ambition to link the peninsula’s cities by passenger rail, a plan the war has made more urgent. — semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1573, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1657, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for dovetail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

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