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
Install an Ant Moat Ant moats are little basins that hold water that are hung above hummingbird feeders.
—
Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Impact on China services, capital expenditure volatility, lack of a real moat like ASML.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
But that moat is now gone with the Groq deal, Feldman wrote.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
There is a technological moat, for now, but if the market for legged robots follows the same trajectory as the market for drones did, that moat will shrink drastically over the next few years.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Impact on China services, capital expenditure volatility, lack of a real moat like ASML.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
But that moat is now gone with the Groq deal, Feldman wrote.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
There is a technological moat, for now, but if the market for legged robots follows the same trajectory as the market for drones did, that moat will shrink drastically over the next few years.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
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First responders found the man face down in a ditch filled with water, officials said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Instead, the women and their husbands found out about the data center project from speaking directly to the workers hired to move dirt and dig runoff ditches ahead of construction.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The district has 56 poles and 7,500 linear feet of overhead conversion to 11,165 linear feet of underground trench spanning 227 properties, according to a council agenda report.—
Luke Harold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Whether through bold color, like a crimson red trench, or thoughtful updates to classic silhouettes, such as their bestselling scarf coat with wraparound fringing (as seen here on Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo), the label knows how to balance statement with wearability.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Park staff in July partially opened the valve of the structure after heavy rain caused water levels to overflow the lake’s earthen dike, raising erosion concerns.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
-
There's a, uh, like a little culvert or something.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
18 Feb. 2026
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Once thought extinct, they were rediscovered in a metal culvert in 1986.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But funny ha-ha peculiar, just like the director.—
John Waters,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
-
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
-
If no alternative exists, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
-
If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and cover your head, or leave your vehicle and seek refuge in a low-lying area like a ditch or ravine.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Clogged gutters and downspouts.—
Asia London Palomba,
The Spruce,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Homeowners should create defensible space by clearing dry brush, leaves, and other flammable materials away from structures and keeping gutters and roofs free of debris.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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