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
Over time, capability is what actually builds competitive moats, not technology.
—Kerry Huang, Forbes.com, 20 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
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
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
Over time, capability is what actually builds competitive moats, not technology.
—Kerry Huang, Forbes.com, 20 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moats
Noun
-
Between forays into the shallows females rest in the cover of small ditches and cuts near shallow-water breaklines and river channels in six to 10 feet of water.—
John Phillips,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
-
Work in Del Mar includes the installation of drainage ditches within the railroad right-of-way between Sixth Street and Coast Boulevard.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 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
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The dikes would consist of walls surrounding the city, separating it from the lagoon, Lionello said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Scott Gordon, chief of water enforcement for EPA’s regional office at the time, toured the site in 2000 and said he was shocked by how the industrial water found its path into the river, sometimes through gullies cut by the flow.—
DYLAN JACKSON,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The manhunt has so far been contained to Stewart County, where search crews are up against an immediate terrain of steep hills with deep ravines or hollows, the sheriff said.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Moats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moats. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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