tongue and groove

noun

|Updated on: 6 May 2018

Definition of tongue and groove

: a joint made by a tongue on one edge of a board fitting into a corresponding groove on the edge of another board

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tongue-and-groove

adjective

Recent Examples of tongue and groove from the Web

There's a sale on sturdy Pelican cases, which are kept airtight through the use of a tongue and groove fit and a polymer o-ring.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Today's Best Deals: Things Won't Break in a Pelican Case," 30 Apr. 2018
The house had only one owner and the interior features real wood paneling, vaulted tongue and groove wood ceilings, a really nice lava rock fireplace and some sweet swag lamps.

— robert khederian, Curbed, "To remodel or not to remodel: Curbed readers on “remuddling,” waste, and when to renovate," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tongue and groove.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.