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
The jelly dishes are removable, and the feeder includes an ant moat as well as bee guards to keep insects away.
—
Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 May 2026
Abroad, Putin focused on forming a moat of buffer countries, a gray zone between the East and the West.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
The new entrances to the museum are also designed to be subterranean and added to the Louvre’s moat, which itself will be turned into a garden designed by BASE, a French landscape agency.
—News Desk, Artforum, 19 May 2026
Bottom line With Amazon Now's ultra-fast delivery, the company is relying on convenience to widen its competitive moat in e-commerce.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for moat
Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 May 2026
Abroad, Putin focused on forming a moat of buffer countries, a gray zone between the East and the West.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
The new entrances to the museum are also designed to be subterranean and added to the Louvre’s moat, which itself will be turned into a garden designed by BASE, a French landscape agency.
—News Desk, Artforum, 19 May 2026
Bottom line With Amazon Now's ultra-fast delivery, the company is relying on convenience to widen its competitive moat in e-commerce.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
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First responders arrived at the scene on a report of a child falling into the actively flowing ditch.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
Those sorts of unexpected shifts are what make Vile’s brand of self-absorption so uniquely absorbing after all these years, even as Philadelphia leans into his familiar formula of ’70s-Neil ditch-digging filtered through ’80s-Springsteen production and stretched across ’90s-CD sprawl.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Anthony is wearing a tan Burberry trench, open over a cashmere turtleneck that looks expensive even in the dark.—
Shyla Watson,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Then there’s the large amount of concrete used for the foundation, flame trench, and surrounding areas.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The ditch by the plant is connected to a dike system that runs through the city of Longview, which has a population of around 37,000, Stanfield said.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
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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
Noun
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The funding will also help pay for the replacement of a large drainage culvert near Sierra College Boulevard on English Colony Way at Clover Valley Creek, along with the construction of a new bridge and roadway improvements on Garden Bar Road at Doty Ravine.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
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In Belgium, culvert removals in the Anlier forest are reconnecting smaller tributaries that play an important role in local biodiversity.—
Radina Gigova,
CNN Money,
27 May 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
-
When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 June 2026
-
Between them sits a dry ravine, or barranca.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Crews also will be replacing underground utilities, and constructing curbs and gutters, between 16th Street and 24th Street in Fruitland, and between 3rd Avenue and 6th Avenue in Payette, the release said.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
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Colbert’s show even got higher ratings than other late night comedy shows, but that couldn’t pull it out of the financial gutter.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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