dovetail

[ duhv-teyl ]

See synonyms for: dovetail dovetailing on Thesaurus.com

nounCarpentry.

a tenon broader at its end than at its base; pin.
a joint formed of one or more such tenons fitting tightly within corresponding mortises.

verb (used with or without object)

Carpentry. to join or fit together by means of a dovetail or dovetails.
to join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.

Origin of dovetail

First recorded in 1555–65; so named from its shape

Other words from dovetail

dovetailer, noun

Words Nearby dovetail

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dovetail in a sentence

To get the full benefit of TV ads, marketers need to create a digital dovetail to extend the reach and impact of their spots with real-time digital activations that can capture demand in the moment.
What marketers are getting wrong about TV advertising (and how to get it right) | Ben Holding | December 7, 2021 | Digiday
Your acid experiences also seem to dovetail with expanding your musical consciousness.
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth | David Yaffe | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The novel is structurally daring, managing to dovetail the perspectives of both boys.
She Who Came After Tolkien, Before Rowling | John Garth | August 31, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
High-minded pursuits dovetail with rigidly disciplining your body.
The Stars Predict Your Week | Starsky + Cox | October 29, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
And the overriding issue of the election—the economy—happens to dovetail with the issues that concern New Hampshire Republicans.
Romney's Killing It in New Hampshire | Jill Lawrence | October 27, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

Well, now these dynamics dovetail as Mercury and Mars dosey doe in your cosmic sector of mass consciousness.
Zodiac Beast: April 17-24 | Starsky + Cox | April 16, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The dovetail is a most important joint; its most usual forms are illustrated in fig. 3.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4 | Various
The sermon should be constructed to fit the man; argument and emotion should not stand apart, but dovetail and interlace.
The Young Priest's Keepsake | Michael Phelan
Fig. 37 is "Oblique dovetail Halving," one side of the piece being dovetailed.
Woodwork Joints | William Fairham
In this case the dovetail is similar to Fig. 33, with the exception that it does not run through the bottom rail.
Woodwork Joints | William Fairham
Fig. 47 shows a combination of a bevelled dovetail half-lapped joint.
Woodwork Joints | William Fairham

British Dictionary definitions for dovetail

dovetail

/ (ˈdʌvˌteɪl) /

noun

a wedge-shaped tenon
Also called: dovetail joint a joint containing such tenons

verb

(tr) to join by means of dovetails
to fit or cause to fit together closely or neatly: he dovetailed his arguments to the desired conclusion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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