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
Recent Examples on the Web
Ciarmoli added that the company has a strong and sustainable competitive moat.
—
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
But that moat is now gone with the Groq deal, Feldman wrote.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
The process will begin with the moat around the Castle being drained.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
But when a mother (Olivia Horton) throws her toddler into a moat surrounding an enclosure full of prowling lions at the zoo, puzzle pieces come together like a satanic symbol.
—Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Moat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moat. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
moat
noun
: a deep wide trench around the walls of a castle or fortress that is usually filled with water
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
