Illustration of moat
- moat 1
1
: a deep and wide trench around the rampart of a fortified place (such as a castle) that is usually filled with water
The moat can be crossed by a drawbridge.
2
: a channel resembling a moat (as about a seamount or for confinement of animals in a zoo)
A Bengal tiger stared at me from across the moat.
Examples of moat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first design envisioned small balconies between the layers, but that plan fell away so that the interstitial space is a moat, just out of reach for everyone except window cleaners and gardeners.
—
Curbed, 27 Sep. 2023
Steamed rockfish, which a server compares to clam chowder, delivers on the promise with a moat of diced potatoes, bacon and milky sauce around the entree, freckled with scallion ash, a handy way to deal with the abundance of scallions in the kitchen.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Beyond accruing their own proprietary data, companies must also explore unconventional methods to build up their data moat.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2023
The only way any competitor could quickly access many millions of users, and thus the most important moat for Google to protect, is through Safari on iOS.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2023
Layer 3 or 4 inches of mulch onto the soil surface, starting at the outer edge of the moat.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
When the hole is full, make a shallow moat around the stem or trunk.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Over centuries, the outer walls had fallen and the main hall had softened into a stone residence flanked by two low barns and bordered by narrow, grassy moats, dug long ago to keep a handful of people safe against marauders seeking—what?, Jacob Jiang wondered on the day of his arrival.
—Lan Samantha Chang, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The economic moat theory, which was popularized by the Berkshire Hathaway chairman, refers to a business’s ability to maintain an advantage over its competitors in order to protect its market share and long-term financial outlook.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
Curbed, 27 Sep. 2023
Steamed rockfish, which a server compares to clam chowder, delivers on the promise with a moat of diced potatoes, bacon and milky sauce around the entree, freckled with scallion ash, a handy way to deal with the abundance of scallions in the kitchen.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Beyond accruing their own proprietary data, companies must also explore unconventional methods to build up their data moat.
—François Candelon, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2023
The only way any competitor could quickly access many millions of users, and thus the most important moat for Google to protect, is through Safari on iOS.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2023
Layer 3 or 4 inches of mulch onto the soil surface, starting at the outer edge of the moat.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
When the hole is full, make a shallow moat around the stem or trunk.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Over centuries, the outer walls had fallen and the main hall had softened into a stone residence flanked by two low barns and bordered by narrow, grassy moats, dug long ago to keep a handful of people safe against marauders seeking—what?, Jacob Jiang wondered on the day of his arrival.
—Lan Samantha Chang, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
The economic moat theory, which was popularized by the Berkshire Hathaway chairman, refers to a business’s ability to maintain an advantage over its competitors in order to protect its market share and long-term financial outlook.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English mote, from Anglo-French mote, motte mound, moat
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of moat was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to moat
Dictionary Entries Near moat
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moat. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
moat
noun
: a deep wide trench around the walls of a castle or fortress that is usually filled with water
More from Merriam-Webster on moat
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for moat
Nglish: Translation of moat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about moat
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