A rabbet (also known as rebate) is a recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece of wood. When viewed in cross-section, a rabbet is two-sided and open to the edge or end of the surface into which it is cut.

Simply stated, a rabbet is a dado on the edge of a piece of stock. While rabbets can be cut using a table saw (with a dado blade) or a straight-cutting router bit, the specially designed rabbeting bits, designed to ride along the edge of the stock (often with a ball bearing guide).