moat
Americannoun
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a deep, wide trench, usually filled with water, surrounding the rampart of a fortified place, such as a town or a castle.
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any trench, such as one used for confining animals in a zoo.
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a competitive advantage a business has in its field.
The company's moat was reduced when the patent on the devices they sold expired.
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of moat
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English mote, from Old French: “clod, mound,” of obscure origin
Explanation
Not many houses these days have a moat — it's a trench dug outside a castle and is usually full of water. A moat means "Keep out!" You're most likely to hear about moats if you read a fairy tale or a history of medieval times. This water-filled ditch is one of the lines of defense for a castle. In the old days, it was pretty effective. If you filled the moat with a deadly fish — like a piranha — that was an even better defense. A moat is pretty much the opposite of a welcome mat.
Vocabulary lists containing moat
The One and Only Ivan
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The Roman and Byzantine Empires, Lessons 5–7
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Shouting at the Rain
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Machinery has been used to cut a huge muddy track to open up the woods and create what Harold's Park site manager Tom Moat describes as an "artery of wildlife through the woodland".
From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025
Andrea Moat, who runs Elizabeth's Florist on Chatteris High Street in Cambridgeshire, said staple varieties were losing popularity due to their price tag.
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025
If approved, Moat School would close either from 1 September 2025 or 1 September 2026.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024
The Greenshaw Learning Trust, which runs Moat Primary Academy, and nearby Robinswood Primary Academy in Matson, Gloucester, said there aren't enough pupils to sustain two sites, so Moat would close.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2024
“If Moat Cailin has fallen, Torrhen’s Square will soon follow. Then it will be our turn.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
