dovetail

1 of 2

noun

dove·​tail ˈdəv-ˌtāl How to pronounce dovetail (audio)
: 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

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

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 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 In what ways does the film dovetail with some of your other renown documentaries like The National Parks, The Civil War, The West, etc. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 6 Sep. 2023
Verb
Campillo sensitively captures the ensuing transition between childish fancy and disillusionment, which dovetails neatly with the Frenchmen’s apathetic shedding of colonial ideals — their days there are numbered, and everyone is waiting for the next chapter of their lives to begin. Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 The District once welcomed the Brutalist style: Its lack of ornamentation dovetailed with John F. Kennedy’s and, later, Lyndon B. Johnson’s vision of an egalitarian society. Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 In Oklahoma – which Pew Research Center ranks among the top 10 most religious states, with about 80% of residents identifying as Christian – these issues have also dovetailed with three categories of shifting thought among Christians. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024 Over the years, my efforts to add to my knowledge tackle box dovetailed with my study of nature. Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 11 Feb. 2024 The hotline aims to dovetail with existing harm reduction services by educating individuals on concepts like set and setting, dosage, and the risks of consumption, Morski added. Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2024 The team that finally delivered Naples its first post-Diego Maradona title was one of those moments of happenstance: a set of players and a coach who dovetailed perfectly. Rory Smith, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 But last May, it was overhauled to dovetail with the platform’s artist-empowerment focus. Dan Rys, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2023 Saar’s 3-D combination of domestic realism and feminist dreams dovetailed with what many critics, including Lucy Lippard, saw happening then. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dovetail was in 1573

Dictionary Entries Near dovetail

Cite this Entry

“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dovetail

1 of 2 noun
dove·​tail -ˌtāl How to pronounce dovetail (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on dovetail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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