as in ditch
a deep, wide excavation that is usually filled with water and that goes around the walls of a place (such as a castle) to protect it from being attacked
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Recent Examples of moat
Bolstering its technical moat, Greater Bay Technology has filed over 50 patents covering everything from proprietary electrolyte formulas to advanced cell manufacturing.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
The two competitive moats that software CEOs relied on for decades—the inability to throw money at a problem to catch up, and customer lock-in through switching costs—are both gone, Horowitz argued.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for moat
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Apr. 2026
The two competitive moats that software CEOs relied on for decades—the inability to throw money at a problem to catch up, and customer lock-in through switching costs—are both gone, Horowitz argued.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
-
Opening with the lead character found dead in a ditch, the film flashes backward to piece together her life from the memories of others, creating a fragmented portrait of an enigmatic young woman’s life.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The author Virginia Woolf wrote a famous speculative essay about Shakespeare’s sister Judith—a young woman with all of his talent and none of his opportunities who ended her frustrated life by suicide in a roadside ditch.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Iranian cinema classics are a hot cinematic commodity these days in the indie trenches.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
1 May 2026
-
Anne Hathaway turns heads in an oversized leopard trench in New York City on April 28.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Constructing protective structures such as levees and dikes can help, as can preserving natural landscapes, such as wetlands and estuaries that can act as a natural sponge to absorb floodwaters, in and near the cities, Shao and her colleagues wrote.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The closure will allow crews to replace a culvert and fix pavement issues, the agency reported.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Her body was found wrapped in a culvert in June 2023.—
Sydney Mook,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Great roles and performances, but, ha-ha, Phoenix earned his first Academy Award for Joker in 2020.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
-
But funny ha-ha peculiar, just like the director.—
John Waters,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Another hiker died on the same trail one week earlier after falling down a ravine, though officials haven’t clarified whether injuries or illness caused his death.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Intermittent daytime lane closures will be required for the project, which consists of replacing the concrete median, installing of curb and gutters as well as milling and resurfacing from the intersection to about 800 feet west, according to an Illinois Department of Transportation news release.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
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Water that pools near the foundation accelerates the soil-movement problems described above, so inspectors look at slope, gutters and downspouts.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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