moat

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 This reduces the ability to recoup up-front AI investments, particularly when there’s little client lock-in, no network effects, and no moat. PolyAI chose to remain a software company, partnering with BPOs rather than acquiring them. Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 June 2025 Another solution is to set the feeder in a shallow container of water, creating a moat that, for the most part, will prevent the ants from reaching their goal. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 June 2025 That’s a long-term moat, not a short-term constraint. Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025 Legacy agencies built their moats around relationships and expertise, but Spynn has built bridges that aim to bypass those moats entirely. Ascend Agency, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for moat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moat
Noun
  • There was a sewer ditch that ran along a set of barracks, and some portable toilets that were pulled back and forth between barracks for people to use and then emptied into the ditch.
    Sacha Pfeiffer, NPR, 22 July 2025
  • The pipes and tubes are meant to conserve water by replacing open ditches and reducing evaporation.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 20 July 2025
Noun
  • Each meter of that cable—on rooftops, in trenches, across mounting rails—is a potential ignition point if not properly protected, installed and maintained.
    Joern Hackbarth, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • Likely following orders from the Roman army, the troops would often leave the fort for distant regions and in their haste, ditch shoes, clothing and other belongings in the surrounding trenches, Frame explained.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Paleomagnetic measurements allow to estimate how long magma was actively flowing in a dike.
    David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • The dike kept towns such as Belle Glades and Clewiston safe, and kept the crops in the vast Everglades Agricultural Area dry in summer and watered in winter.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • Follow these recommendations from the NWS to stay safe in heavy rain: Beware of rapid water flow: 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, 30 July 2025
  • River banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2025
Noun
  • And a big part of the scene’s effectiveness in showcasing the blend of ha-ha–bang-bang that would soon come to be called Tarantino-esque is Madsen’s take on it.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2025
  • Not ha-ha funny but rather the hard-to-define, hard-to-precisely-quantify, kind of funny, like how the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is funny.
    Seth Matlins, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2025
  • Deputies arrived to find one of the vehicles had crashed into a ravine, causing a fire, Payman said.
    Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • The city aims to sweep every public street with a curb and a gutter at least once a month from February through October, picking up small pieces of litter and debris that can clog storm drains.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
  • The road work includes the installation of new curb and gutter as well as storm drainage improvements. Detour routes will be in place using Mt. Hebron, Garrett and Rainbow roads, the release states.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 11 July 2025

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“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moat. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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