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
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
Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The pacing is tight, Oz has never looked better and the ties with Dorothy's tale dovetail satisfyingly.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
The trade deadline This all dovetails into a larger trade deadline conversation.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
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Noun
Trump’s exhortations to the oil industry dovetail with a broader push to address cost-of-living concerns weighing heavily on Republicans’ bid to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 10 Jan. 2026
The pacing is tight, Oz has never looked better and the ties with Dorothy's tale dovetail satisfyingly.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
For Albert, Bellwether’s machines dovetailed perfectly with his commitment to sustainability.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
The trade deadline This all dovetails into a larger trade deadline conversation.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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