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
Klein added European businesses could use AI to build wider moats, urging business leaders to take risks and the European Union to deregulate to unlock greater capital and talent.
—
Tasmin Lockwood,hugh Leask, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
Joe Hrycych / Getty Images The Vancouver Canucks have lost eight consecutive games and are building a protective moat around their bid to finish the year with top NHL Draft Lottery odds, and looked completely overwhelmed in back-to-back losses in Montreal and Ottawa to open this week.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
But that moat is now gone with the Groq deal, Feldman wrote.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
The process will begin with the moat around the Castle being drained.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Tasmin Lockwood,hugh Leask, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
Joe Hrycych / Getty Images The Vancouver Canucks have lost eight consecutive games and are building a protective moat around their bid to finish the year with top NHL Draft Lottery odds, and looked completely overwhelmed in back-to-back losses in Montreal and Ottawa to open this week.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
But that moat is now gone with the Groq deal, Feldman wrote.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
The process will begin with the moat around the Castle being drained.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
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The ditch that’s up to 19 feet deep dwarfs the heavy machinery inside of it.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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These joints were also designed to be lockable for bridging wide anti-tank ditches or canals.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Try adding a sweeping trench or pea coat and opt for knee-high boots.—
Amber Rambharose,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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Instead of a classic camel hue, embrace the season’s deeper tones like this olive trench from Everlane.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Refurbishment of the dike around the lake is finished, and a revision of the lake management rules went into effect in 2024.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Brandon Bell / Getty Images Since then, people have been fortifying dike systems to contain the water, often building housing and industrial buildings as close to the edge as flood plain planners allow.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Seagoville first responders and a tow truck driver saved a 39-year-old man from drowning in a drainage culvert during the winter storm Tuesday afternoon, police said in a statement Thursday.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
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Currently, sewage and industrial waste drops from culvert pipes onto rocks below, creating splashing that releases airborne pollutants including hydrogen sulfide.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But funny ha-ha peculiar, just like the director.—
John Waters,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
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Is there anything in the wings at the IRS that will provide some guidance as to the taxable or nontaxable (ha-ha) nature of that lump sum?—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Low fence markers can be seen outlining the building zone along Route 2, which slopes along open land, wooded patches and some ravines.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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In the foothills of the Himalayas, a wire on a cable car snaps, leaving eight passengers, including several schoolchildren, dangling 900 feet above a ravine awaiting rescue before the remaining cable fails.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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All gutters and drains should be cleaned of ice, snow, and other debris, the agency said.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
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Andre Kazimiersky is the co-owner and president at HomeHero Roofing, a residential roofing and gutter company.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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