US /ˈdʌvˌteɪl/ UK /ˈdʌvteɪl/
verb Freq #84821

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    To combine or fit (things) together well.

    The executive board dovetailed its decision neatly with the prior projects the company had taken up.

  2. 2
    verb

    Of several things: to combine or fit together well.

    The parts of your essay should dovetail so that it is cohesive and coherent.

Thesaurus

Word family
Derived forms dovetaileddovetailerdovetailing
Related forms join

Etymology

The noun is derived from dove + tail. The verb is derived from the noun.

Topics

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