dowel
1 of 2noun
dow·el ˈdau̇(-ə)l 
1
: a pin fitting into a hole in an abutting piece to prevent motion or slipping
also : a round rod or stick used especially for cutting up into dowels
2
: a piece of wood driven into a wall so that other pieces can be nailed to it
dowel
2 of 2verb
dowelled also doweled; dowelling also doweling
transitive verb
: to fasten by or furnish with dowels
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Jen Murphy, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2022 Then place a dowel through the center and secure the urns and pumpkins in place with adhesive. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2022 Tie rope around dowel, and feed rope through hole; hang. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 15 July 2022 Kamgrounds of America has a video that shows you how to do it with aluminum foil, cooking spray and a dowel. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 5 Aug. 2022 Install a dowel rod and a set of curtains in your favorite fabric. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2022 Glue the binder clip onto the back of the dowel with permanent crafts adhesive. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2022 Caspi only used a power tool once to drill in the dowel for the pencil’s tip. Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2022 Hot-glue the alternating points to the center, top with a button, and attach to a dowel. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 6 June 2022 Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 If the stem is very weak, use a stick or dowel as a splint to prevent the stem from breaking off. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 19 Mar. 2022 Cut 1x2 into eight 36-inch pieces, then cut 3/8-inch dowel rods into 12-inch lengths. Chelsea Evers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2021 Plug the holes with 3⁄8-inch dowel glued into place and trimmed flush [8]. Ted Kilcommons, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2020 For a classic spiral design, place your finger or dowel rod in the center of the shirt and start turning clockwise until the entire shirt reaches a spiral design. Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 9 June 2020 Kay would have had to carefully dowel these cuts together, and then shape them into a perfectly round wheel. Cody Cassidy, Wired, 6 May 2020 The great room, which features tongue-and-groove, doweled rafters above matching Koa floors, provides plenty of room to entertain, but the downstairs game room is where the real fun happens. Liv Sotheby's International Realty, The Denver Post, 20 Dec. 2019 See More
Noun
How: Attach a string or rope to a piece of pipe or dowel. Jen Murphy, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2022 Then place a dowel through the center and secure the urns and pumpkins in place with adhesive. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2022 Tie rope around dowel, and feed rope through hole; hang. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 15 July 2022 Kamgrounds of America has a video that shows you how to do it with aluminum foil, cooking spray and a dowel. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 5 Aug. 2022 Install a dowel rod and a set of curtains in your favorite fabric. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2022 Glue the binder clip onto the back of the dowel with permanent crafts adhesive. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2022 Caspi only used a power tool once to drill in the dowel for the pencil’s tip. Alison Cross, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2022 Hot-glue the alternating points to the center, top with a button, and attach to a dowel. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 6 June 2022 Verb
Tie the other end of the string to a wooden stick or dowel. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 If the stem is very weak, use a stick or dowel as a splint to prevent the stem from breaking off. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 19 Mar. 2022 Cut 1x2 into eight 36-inch pieces, then cut 3/8-inch dowel rods into 12-inch lengths. Chelsea Evers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2021 Plug the holes with 3⁄8-inch dowel glued into place and trimmed flush [8]. Ted Kilcommons, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2020 For a classic spiral design, place your finger or dowel rod in the center of the shirt and start turning clockwise until the entire shirt reaches a spiral design. Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 9 June 2020 Kay would have had to carefully dowel these cuts together, and then shape them into a perfectly round wheel. Cody Cassidy, Wired, 6 May 2020 The great room, which features tongue-and-groove, doweled rafters above matching Koa floors, provides plenty of room to entertain, but the downstairs game room is where the real fun happens. Liv Sotheby's International Realty, The Denver Post, 20 Dec. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English dowle; akin to Old High German tubili plug, Late Greek typhos wedge
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1713, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
dowel
noun
dow·el ˈdau̇-əl
: a pin or peg used for fastening together two pieces of wood