moat

noun

Definition of moatnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of moat The tools cost next to nothing, yet the moat belongs to whoever starts compiling first. — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Who survives Over 50 years ago, Charlie Munger convinced his best friend, Warren Buffett, to ditch the proverbial cheap cigar butts for buying durable, high-quality businesses, centered around their economic moat. — Sanjot Malhi, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Ant moats are the most effective way of keeping ants out of the feeder if the ants don’t have an alternate route. — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026 Stone walls extend beyond the house into the gardens, while a dry stone moat runs along the front with a bridge leading to the entrance. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
  1. ditch
  2. trench
  3. dike
  4. culvert
  5. ha-ha
  6. ravine
  7. gutter
Noun
  • In the spring, when the snow is melting and the springs that are high up in the rock cliffs some miles away are carrying it down full speed, the ditches overflow as does the little creek that runs near my cabin.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Though Sarnia’s industrial corridor is downstream from Lake Huron, several drainage ditches in the area are connected to creeks that flow into the lake, Corcoran said in an interview.
    — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditch
Noun
  • Add the chicest pair of clogs, slim-line sneakers, and the most versatile trench below to your cart.
    — Anna Traver, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The film, set in the Belgian trenches of the First World War, follows the love between two young soldiers who try, through art and intimacy, to escape the horrors around them.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of trench
Noun
  • Like many inland dikes, the barrier in agricultural fields near the small town of Waddinxveen, east of The Hague, is made of peat that needs to be damp to be strong enough to hold back water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The company says the W-01 responds to risks from tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, marine submersion and dike or dam failures.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026
Definition of dike
Noun
  • Ducking into Maryam Lashkari, Hodjat Salimi and Oscar Tuazon’s interactive sculpture — an enormous cardboard tube lying on its side — feels like entering a culvert or a bomb shelter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In particular, Gastevich said the flooding problems have been created because of a blockage of the nearby Kemper Ditch and a culvert.
    — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of culvert
Noun
  • Brazilian fandom is a funny thing, both in its complexity — Brazil, as one of its great cultural figures once said, is not for beginners — and in the ha-ha sense.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 25 June 2026
  • Workers repairing a ha-ha, a ditch traditionally used to contain livestock without interrupting the view across an estate, uncovered a tunnel entrance, along with Tudor-era artifacts including pottery, bones, and glass bottles.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of ha-ha
Noun
  • The helicopter then returned to the ravine and carried out the same technical maneuver to bring the second climber to safety.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • At the other side of the woods the land dips into a ravine, the great trees end and dense bushes clot the bank.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of ravine
Noun
  • Standing urinals in the form of gutters are found at some Roman public buildings, such as the Colosseum.
    — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The documents detail a sprawling crime scene filled with bullet holes and littered with shell casings recovered from around the church, the neighboring playground and as far away as the walls and gutters of houses in the surrounding neighborhood.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of gutter

Browse Nearby Words

moans
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moats
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Cite this Entry

“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on moat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about moat

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