: a projecting member in a piece of wood or other material for insertion into a mortise to make a joint see dovetail illustration
tenoned; tenoning; tenons
Examples of tenon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025
The main hall was constructed with a large timber frame structure fabricated and assembled in a traditional mortise and tenon method, with no steel components.
—Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
The beams were assembled using mortise and tenon joinery, in which a protruding tenon slots into a mortise hole and is held fast with an oak peg.
—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
This essentially creates a mortise and tenon joint, without having to actually cut a mortise and tenon, which is time-consuming and requires skill and practice.
—Jean Levasseur, Popular Science, 26 July 2023
All the structures inside the Suzhou Garden are made of solid wood jointed by mortise and tenon joints (two pieces of wood are locked together without nails).
—Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 19 Mar. 2023
This bike is a collection of interlocking tubes held together by mortise-and-tenon construction and bolt collars.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2023
The use of long mortise-and-tenon joints and a developed internal structure point toward the Classical time period.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 20 July 2022
Then, lay out the angled shoulder and cut the finished tenon with a sharp backsaw [21].
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 31 July 2021
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Noun
At the heart of it all, a floating staircase—crafted with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery—suspends between masonry and exposed studs, leading to a bright, airy interior with three wood-burning fireplaces.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025
The main hall was constructed with a large timber frame structure fabricated and assembled in a traditional mortise and tenon method, with no steel components.
—Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
The beams were assembled using mortise and tenon joinery, in which a protruding tenon slots into a mortise hole and is held fast with an oak peg.
—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
This essentially creates a mortise and tenon joint, without having to actually cut a mortise and tenon, which is time-consuming and requires skill and practice.
—Jean Levasseur, Popular Science, 26 July 2023
All the structures inside the Suzhou Garden are made of solid wood jointed by mortise and tenon joints (two pieces of wood are locked together without nails).
—Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN, 19 Mar. 2023
This bike is a collection of interlocking tubes held together by mortise-and-tenon construction and bolt collars.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2023
The use of long mortise-and-tenon joints and a developed internal structure point toward the Classical time period.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 20 July 2022
Then, lay out the angled shoulder and cut the finished tenon with a sharp backsaw [21].
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 31 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Tenon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenon. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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