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
The two competitive moats that software CEOs relied on for decades—the inability to throw money at a problem to catch up, and customer lock-in through switching costs—are both gone, Horowitz argued.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
This control was reflected in the layout of the site, in which workshop areas–identified by furnaces and bronze artifacts—were enclosed by earthen walls and moats, suggesting oversight and protection.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Sticky barriers or water moats can also prevent ants from reaching common destinations, such as plants and counters, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 24 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
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
This control was reflected in the layout of the site, in which workshop areas–identified by furnaces and bronze artifacts—were enclosed by earthen walls and moats, suggesting oversight and protection.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Sticky barriers or water moats can also prevent ants from reaching common destinations, such as plants and counters, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 24 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
-
In heavy rain, refrain from parking or walking near culverts or drainage ditches, where swift-moving water can pose a grave danger.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
Zaragoza stationed his men on the high ground, hidden behind cacti, behind walls of dilapidated forts, in ditches.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Iranian cinema classics are a hot cinematic commodity these days in the indie trenches.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
1 May 2026
-
Advancing through the exclusion zone on their way to Kyiv, soldiers dug trenches in radioactive soil in the Red Forest — one of the most radioactive areas on Earth — and exposed themselves to high levels of contamination.—
Benjamin Mack-Jackson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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
-
Why not try and capture an image of the moon during each major phase (excluding the new moon) as the line separating night from day sweeps across the lunar surface throwing ancient craters, ravines and mountain ranges into relief.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
The reserve features high, broken cliffs and deep ravines on headlands overlooking the ocean.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moats. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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