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View synonyms for moat

moat

[ moht ]

noun

  1. a deep, wide trench, usually filled with water, surrounding the rampart of a fortified place, such as a town or a castle.
  2. any trench, such as one used for confining animals in a zoo.
  3. a competitive advantage a business has in its field:

    The company's moat was reduced when the patent on the devices they sold expired.



moat

/ məʊt /

noun

  1. a wide water-filled ditch surrounding a fortified place, such as a castle
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to surround with or as if with a moat

    a moated grange

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of moat1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English mote, from Old French: “clod, mound,” of obscure origin
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Word History and Origins

Origin of moat1

C14: from Old French motte mound
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Example Sentences

A massive gate in that interior wall looks like something out of a medieval castle — all that’s missing is a moat and guards.

The notion that America was secured by two unbreachable moats, the Atlantic and the Pacific, was already about to be invalidated.

From Salon

Like many of the other castles on the list, it has secret passages, a drawbridge and moat, a chapel and a torture chamber — but this Napa Valley castle offers wine tastings as well as tours.

The moat of trash in the yard reaches the driveway, encasing a red Toyota Corolla Twin Cam in crumpled tarps, coat hangers, broom handles, coffee cups, more newspaper and more plastic bags.

“Each step in Apple’s course of conduct built and reinforced the moat around its smartphone monopoly,” prosecutors wrote in Thursday’s lawsuit.

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