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
Put another way, the castles of these companies' profit engines are protected by moats.
—
NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
These applications can create competitive moats and generate measurable ROI.
—Craig Costigan, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
These applications can create competitive moats and generate measurable ROI.
—Craig Costigan, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moats
Noun
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The big feathery cottonwoods along the ditches were just turning then, flaunting great masses of clear, bright yellow against the transparent blue of the southern Arizona sky.—
Jack O'Connor,
Outdoor Life,
23 Oct. 2025
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In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The discoveries span worms, mollusks, and crustaceans collected from habitats ranging from shallow waters to the ocean’s deepest trenches.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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The mud, blood, and bombardment of the World War I trenches forms the backdrop to the most audacious horror novel of the year.—
Neil McRobert,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While the new dikes are funded by the federal government, the extensive reforestation efforts are privately covered by a non-governmental organization.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Adding a cultural twist to the week, Viktor Hovland was spotted exploring Chandni Chowk in a rickshaw (a three-wheeler vehicle used by the locals), Old Delhi’s historic marketplace known for its centuries-old architecture and gullies.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
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Instead, a new study suggests that the gullies are sculpted by slabs of dry ice that form during the Martian winter.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Michael Anderson, executive director of the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, said with results from Senjem in hand, landowners will be able to take action to stop sediment from ravines on their properties.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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Every year in the early fall, along the riverbanks and ravines of the Southeast coast, pawpaws begin to show up in the understory.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moats. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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