moat

[ moht ]
See synonyms for moat on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a deep, wide trench, usually filled with water, surrounding the rampart of a fortified place, as a town or a castle.

  2. any similar trench, as one used for confining animals in a zoo.

Origin of moat

1
1325–75; Middle English mote<Old French: clod, mound, of obscure origin

Words that may be confused with moat

Words Nearby moat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use moat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for moat

moat

/ (məʊt) /


noun
  1. a wide water-filled ditch surrounding a fortified place, such as a castle

verb
  1. (tr) to surround with or as if with a moat: a moated grange

Origin of moat

1
C14: from Old French motte mound

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