Illustration of moat
- moat 1
1
: a deep and wide trench around the rampart of a fortified place (such as a castle) that is usually filled with water
The moat can be crossed by a drawbridge.
2
: a channel resembling a moat (as about a seamount or for confinement of animals in a zoo)
A Bengal tiger stared at me from across the moat.
Examples of moat in a Sentence
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Ants do fortify their mounds before rains; some even use twigs and dig moats.
—
Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
These features keep production costs low and stitch together a vast national market, linked to the wealthiest parts of Asia and Europe via ocean highways that also serve as protective moats.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
To cross the moat and venture into its immense chambers, shadowed by a seriousness of purpose, is to experience a kind of awe, or at least the deepest respect for whoever erected and owns this stronghold.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Smart founders use full coffers to build deep moats, ideally around monopolies, so that eventual product-market-fit is matched with defensibility.
—Ruth Foxe Blader, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
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Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025
These features keep production costs low and stitch together a vast national market, linked to the wealthiest parts of Asia and Europe via ocean highways that also serve as protective moats.
—Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
To cross the moat and venture into its immense chambers, shadowed by a seriousness of purpose, is to experience a kind of awe, or at least the deepest respect for whoever erected and owns this stronghold.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Smart founders use full coffers to build deep moats, ideally around monopolies, so that eventual product-market-fit is matched with defensibility.
—Ruth Foxe Blader, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for moat
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Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moat. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
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moat
noun
: a deep wide trench around the walls of a castle or fortress that is usually filled with water
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