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dovetail

noun dove·tail \ ˈdəv-ˌtāl \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of dovetail

: 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)

See dovetail defined for English-language learners

See dovetail defined for kids

Recent Examples of dovetail from the Web

Fire Resistant The company’s push dovetails nicely with a government plan to reform Portugal’s forests, following last year’s deadly fires.

— Bloomberg.com, "Portugal Doubles Down on Cork After Demand Revives in Wine Business," 28 Mar. 2018
The increase in spending dovetails with Trump’s recently released strategy for national defense, which cites the rise of adversaries like Russia and China.

— tom vanden brook, USA TODAY, "State of the Union fact check: Fully fund Pentagon; caps have been busted before," 30 Jan. 2018
The techniques and tools used today to hand carve dovetail joints has changed little.

— timothy dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Build a Wooden Tool Tote Using Dovetails and No Power Tools," 29 Feb. 2016
In 2017, Trump’s previous pro-wrestling playacting dovetails neatly, and in gif form, with an attack on the Fourth Estate.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "Conspiracy Theories Are for Underdogs," 22 Oct. 2017
The way the cops use arrest as a form of crowd control dovetails so neatly with the way prosecutors drain us, even without getting any results.

— natasha lennard, Esquire, "Still Fighting at Standing Rock," 19 Sep. 2017
Neither character sees the other, but their dialogue dovetails and alternates, creating an emotional pendulum that swings from cool scientific consideration to the delusional anguish that will lead Villegas to pitch a rock at his beloved.

— christine dolen, miamiherald, "Intriguing stories swirl in new play about the iconic Mona Lisa," 17 July 2017
The American photographer, whose twin talents for dynamic portraiture and spartan still-lifes dovetail beautifully in his fashion work, is perhaps best known for his six decades of contributions to Vogue.

— The New Yorker, "Irving Penn: Centennial," 22 May 2017
In an extremely odd political dovetail, both the Democratic and the Republican platforms include planks that call for the restoration of the landmark 1933 law.

— andrew ross sorkin, New York Times, "One Thing Both Parties Want: To Break Up the Banks Again," 25 July 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dovetail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of dovetail

First Known Use of dovetail

1573

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

2

dovetail

verb

Definition of dovetail

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

See dovetail defined for English-language learners

Examples of dovetail in a Sentence

the Union and the Confederate accounts of the battle don't dovetail at all

Recent Examples of dovetail from the Web

No specific timeline was provided for when construction might start, or how the traffic improvements would dovetail with the construction.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Traffic on Antioch top concern of Brookridge critics, but commission moves it forward | The Kansas City Star," 11 Apr. 2018
Kroger officials said the latest decision dovetails with the retailer's move a few weeks ago to raise the minimum age to buy guns from its Fred Meyer chain from 18 to 21.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Kroger stops selling magazines featuring assault rifles," 19 Mar. 2018
These conclusions dovetail with other research on the power of diverse perspectives to generate better breakthroughs.

— ed frauenheim, Fortune, "How Edward Jones Keeps Its Employees Happy to Come to Work," 27 Mar. 2018
The district is dovetailing the move with another goal to make the district's staff look more like its student population while maintaining the level of quality and qualifications, Waller Gordon.

— emily k. coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Woodland District 50 starts process to move school start times," 26 Mar. 2018
That dovetails with ISWAP’s attempts to rebrand itself as the less brutal of the two jihadist insurgencies in Nigeria.

— joe parkinson, WSJ, "Nigeria Holds Peace Talks With Jihadist Group," 25 Mar. 2018
Colonial powers waged costly and ultimately doomed counterrevolutionary wars to reestablish control, which then dovetailed with the U.S.’s anti-communist efforts as Europe withdrew from the scene.

— amar diwakar, The New Republic, "Saffron Curtain: How Buddhism Was Weaponized During the Cold War," 23 Mar. 2018
The proposal dovetails with changes passed late last year to bring more transparency to the process of reporting and investigating harassment accusations.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland delegates approve new way to investigate sexual harassment claims in legislature," 19 Mar. 2018
But while Trippie leans hard into his screamo and metal influences, which dovetail nicely with the brash elements of Soundcloud rap, Skies’s vocals are sweet, clean, and frictionless.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Pennsylvania rapper Lil Skies makes Soundcloud rap for people who don’t like Soundcloud rap," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dovetail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of dovetail

circa 1656

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

dovetail Synonyms

Synonyms

accord, agree, answer, check, cohere, coincide, comport, conform, consist, correspond, fit, go, harmonize, jibe, rhyme (also rime), sort, square, tally;

Antonyms

differ (from), disagree (with);

Near Antonyms

contradict, dispute, gainsay;

negate, nullify;

clash, conflict, jar;

Related Words

equal, match, parallel;

align (also aline), line up, register;

Phrases

fall in with;

DOVETAIL Defined for English Language Learners

dovetail

noun

Definition of dovetail for English Language Learners

: a type of joint that is used to connect two pieces of wood together

dovetail

verb

Definition of dovetail for English Language Learners

: to join (two pieces of wood) with dovetail joints
: to fit together in a pleasing or satisfying way

Learn More about dovetail

See words that rhyme with dovetail Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dovetail Spanish Central: Translation of dovetail Nglish: Translation of dovetail for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dovetail for Arabic speakers

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Examples: dovetail in a Sentence