dowel

1 of 2

noun

dow·​el ˈdau̇(-ə)l How to pronounce dowel (audio)
1
: a pin fitting into a hole in an abutting piece to prevent motion or slipping
also : a round rod or stick used especially for cutting up into dowels
2
: a piece of wood driven into a wall so that other pieces can be nailed to it

dowel

2 of 2

verb

dowelled also doweled; dowelling also doweling

transitive verb

: to fasten by or furnish with dowels

Examples of dowel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
To create the tower of pumpkins, drill a hole through the center of each pumpkin, and secure them a dowel. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2023 Spun-Sugar Cobwebs Spun-sugar recipes typically involve flinging hot liquid sugar across a setup of dowels and newspaper. Sunset Staff, Sunset Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023 Glue a dowel plug into each hole [8] and cut it flush to the face of the seat board [9]. Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 31 July 2021 Tutorials abound, with users demonstrating how to create antennas by wrapping copper wire around long wooden dowels or bamboo stakes. Kate Morgan, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 The original instructions don’t specify how to make the turning mechanism, so here’s our idea: find a thin dowel and slightly larger-diameter PVC pipe that the dowel can slide into and rotate in comfortably. Lara Sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, 4 Oct. 2022 Insert dowels into the holes to form hanging pegs for mugs, utensils, and more. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 Drill a grid pattern of holes into a plywood board, and use dowels to hang tools or support shelf boards. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 The easiest and cheapest of these options is to use standard dowels and a doweling jig with your power drill. Jean Levasseur, Popular Science, 26 July 2023
Verb
Tie the other end of the string to a wooden stick or dowel. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 If the stem is very weak, use a stick or dowel as a splint to prevent the stem from breaking off. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 19 Mar. 2022 Cut 1x2 into eight 36-inch pieces, then cut 3/8-inch dowel rods into 12-inch lengths. Chelsea Evers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2021 Plug the holes with 3⁄8-inch dowel glued into place and trimmed flush [8]. Ted Kilcommons, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2020 For a classic spiral design, place your finger or dowel rod in the center of the shirt and start turning clockwise until the entire shirt reaches a spiral design. Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 9 June 2020 Kay would have had to carefully dowel these cuts together, and then shape them into a perfectly round wheel. Cody Cassidy, Wired, 6 May 2020 The great room, which features tongue-and-groove, doweled rafters above matching Koa floors, provides plenty of room to entertain, but the downstairs game room is where the real fun happens. Liv Sotheby's International Realty, The Denver Post, 20 Dec. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dowel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dowle; akin to Old High German tubili plug, Late Greek typhos wedge

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1713, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dowel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dowel

Cite this Entry

“Dowel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dowel. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dowel

1 of 2 noun
dow·​el ˈdau̇(-ə)l How to pronounce dowel (audio)
: a pin or peg used for fastening together two pieces of wood
also : a round rod or stick used especially for cutting up into dowels

dowel

2 of 2 verb
dowelled also doweled; dowelling also doweling
: to fasten by dowels

More from Merriam-Webster on dowel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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