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
Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Mar. 2025
Putting the late Formula 1 driver in a virtual face-off with current champion Verstappen also helps the campaign dovetail into the brand’s return as the motorsport’s official timekeeper from this year, as part of a 10-year deal with parent group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025
Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
Capital One and Ally’s anecdotes dovetail with data from Cox Automotive, which found U.S. vehicle supply plunging as consumers rushed to purchase.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
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Noun
Shira Efron, research director of the nonpartisan Israel Policy Forum, says the Israeli government's return to war dovetails with Netanyahu's need to appease his far-right political partners to maintain his coalition.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Mar. 2025
Putting the late Formula 1 driver in a virtual face-off with current champion Verstappen also helps the campaign dovetail into the brand’s return as the motorsport’s official timekeeper from this year, as part of a 10-year deal with parent group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
The decline dovetails with the production rollout of the second generation of its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y SUV.
—Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
Capital One and Ally’s anecdotes dovetail with data from Cox Automotive, which found U.S. vehicle supply plunging as consumers rushed to purchase.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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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