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
Synonyms
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
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
Zoom out: Democratic candidates' individual fundraising superiority dovetails with a strong third quarter for Democratic leadership.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
This dovetails with transparency, but in my experience, stakeholders may be skeptical of technology thrust on them without explanation.
—Cherian Koshy, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dovetail 
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Noun
The new independent era dovetails with some of McKenna’s biggest shows.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
Zoom out: Democratic candidates' individual fundraising superiority dovetails with a strong third quarter for Democratic leadership.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
The Republican presidential nominee’s Truth Social post in the final week of the race dovetailed with a broader GOP effort to sow doubts about Pennsylvania’s election integrity.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
This dovetails with transparency, but in my experience, stakeholders may be skeptical of technology thrust on them without explanation.
—Cherian Koshy, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dovetail
Dictionary Entries Near dovetail
Cite this Entry
“Dovetail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovetail. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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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