as in ditches
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 moats
Ultimate security does not come from building taller walls or deeper moats.
—
Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Nature protects history and human life Inside the remarkable medieval settlement, archaeologists found moats, remains of buildings, and artifacts, 244 to be exact, including 66 knives, sickles, iron coulters, arrowheads, spearheads, and personal accessories were identified, as per Heritage Daily.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Mar. 2026
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
Funding costs, liquidity stability, capital treatment, and regulatory accountability are moats.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
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
Put another way, the castles of these companies' profit engines are protected by moats.
—NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
Nature protects history and human life Inside the remarkable medieval settlement, archaeologists found moats, remains of buildings, and artifacts, 244 to be exact, including 66 knives, sickles, iron coulters, arrowheads, spearheads, and personal accessories were identified, as per Heritage Daily.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Mar. 2026
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
Funding costs, liquidity stability, capital treatment, and regulatory accountability are moats.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
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
Put another way, the castles of these companies' profit engines are protected by moats.
—NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moats
Noun
-
The sweet steam mixed with the sour smell of leaves in ditches and marshy places along the creek.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
If outside, seek shelter in low-lying areas like ditches or ravines.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Makeshift trenches with food supplies and utensils belonging to the miners were also dismantled, with clothing items left behind after the miners fled the site in Randfontein, about 25 miles west of Johannesburg.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Beneath the landscape, a geoexchange system composed of 16 trenches, each roughly 10 feet deep and 150 feet long, taps the earth’s stable temperature to handle heating and cooling.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Officials had worried that a system of dikes along the Skagit River would fail, and potentially inundate parts of Mount Vernon, a riverside town of about 35,000.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
13 Dec. 2025
-
Chinese mitten crabs burrow into levees, dikes, and stream banks, increasing erosion and threatening flood-control systems.—
Staff Author Updated,
PEOPLE,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Authorities say the mountain sees about a dozen rescues and one fatality per year, with slip-and-falls in steep gullies being a common danger.—
Gregory Thomas,
San Francisco Chronicle,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Her mother, Marlene LaMar, who had helped organize hundreds of volunteers for years to search through fields and gullies after Sierra vanished in 2012, said Saturday she was too devastated to speak about the ruling.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Ponds, streams, small ravines, and valleys provide drama throughout its 27 acres.—
Amy Waldman,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2026
-
If outside, seek shelter in low-lying areas like ditches or ravines.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moats. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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