moat

American  

[moht] / moʊt /

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.

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moat British  

/ məʊt /

noun

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

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verb

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

   a moated grange

Etymology

Origin of moat

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

Example Sentences

He says AI was never a big threat to the company anyway, given its focus on consumer-to-consumer and re-commerce sales, as well as its global scale and built-in shipping and payment moat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Our call of the day from Citrini Research suggests investors stop tying themselves in knots trying to figure out “what moats will endure in software.”

From MarketWatch

He acknowledges that 12% retail deposit growth helps widen CBA’s competitive moat in the Australian mortgage market, supporting both net interest margin and net interest income growth.

From The Wall Street Journal

But those companies “have amassed large and proprietary datasets over many years, creating significant moat,” he wrote.

From Barron's

The company is “consciously building a moat,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• gully
• trench