moat

noun

ˈmōt 

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.

moated

ˈmō-təd 

adjective

moatlike

ˈmōt-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of moat

• moat 1

Examples of moat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This control was reflected in the layout of the site, in which workshop areas–identified by furnaces and bronze artifacts—were enclosed by earthen walls and moats, suggesting oversight and protection. —Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026

The lawsuit also claims Vertix’s poor work resulted in broken sump pumps, areas of water leakage, a falling pipe, exposed metal ties, peeling paint, faulty caulking, rust, and salt water leaching from the habitat’s upper pool into the moat, among others. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026

That dominance has created a near-impenetrable moat. —Scott Nations, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026

The release of successive generations of large language models—including DeepSeek—raised uncomfortable questions about competitive moats. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for moat

• bloat
• boat
• choate
• coat
• cote
• dote
• float
• gloat
• goat
• groat
• haute
• mote

Kids Definition

moat

noun

ˈmōt 

: a deep wide trench around the walls of a castle or fortress that is usually filled with water