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
Technical moats that are eroding in software, where AI democratizes development, remain strong in robotics due to the complexity of physical world integration.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
Nvidia's moat is under threat by other artificial intelligence chipmakers, according to Citi.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Today the building is closed to the public and encircled by a moat, a harbinger of the fort’s inevitable fate.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The United States will always have its natural moats—the Atlantic and the Pacific—to protect the mainland.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
Nvidia's moat is under threat by other artificial intelligence chipmakers, according to Citi.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
Today the building is closed to the public and encircled by a moat, a harbinger of the fort’s inevitable fate.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The United States will always have its natural moats—the Atlantic and the Pacific—to protect the mainland.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
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In the clip, the water in the ditch resembles lava.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
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Heavy rainfall will cause extensive and severe flash flooding of creeks, streams and ditches in the Tehama County Division of the Park Fire Burn Scar.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While many were watching the models wearing the storied Manhattan house's spring 2026 designs—which included oversized slacks, trenches, and a touch of chiffon—we were rapt by Fanning's hair.—
Margaux Anbouba,
Vogue,
15 Sep. 2025
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In video footage of the tragedy obtained by ViralPress, Praphrom could be seen inspecting a collapsed road from a trench opening below, before soil and concrete fell and struck the back of his neck, pinning him to the ground and burying him.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Park staff partially opened the valve in July after heavy rain caused water levels to overflow the dike, raising erosion concerns.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
14 Aug. 2025
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By taking down part of the old dike and building a new one farther back, the project has given the river some breathing room, expanding the floodplain.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The project might also modify an existing stormwater culvert to boost public access, which now means walking through a parking lot.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
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Bates' car swerved off the freeway and came to a rest in a culvert, police said.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Naked Gun showed that there remains a ceiling with broad comedies in the streaming era, specifically titles that aren’t hybrid (hybrid meaning a movie like Deadpool & Wolverine which is half superhero, half ha-ha).—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
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He’s also involved in some dodgy side hustles, which leads to a lot of peripheral gunplay and tangential, ha-ha–bang-bang set pieces that feel cherry-picked from Coen’s back catalog.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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If no alternative exists, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bolster or reattach sagging gutters, tighten up screws, and seal any cracks or leaks with gutter sealant.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 Sep. 2025
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Remove standing water from your flowerpots, gutters, pool covers, pet dishes, or birdbaths.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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