What does "moat" mean?
A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
Moat
/məʊt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
- Grammar: moat is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abri, abysm, abyss, approach trench.
- Useful contrasts: competitive vulnerability.
- Usage evidence: Most castles have a moat surrounding them.
How to use "moat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "moat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "moat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "moat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "moat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "moat" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abri" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "moat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
- 2 ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water wordnet
- 3 An aspect of a business which makes it more "defensible" from competitors, because of the nature of its products, services or franchise or for some other reason. figuratively
"No matter how good your company's product is or how quickly the industry is growing, if there is no moat, competitors will invade your castle and burn it down."
- 4 A circular lowland between a resurgent dome and the walls of the caldera surrounding it.
- 5 A clear ring outside the eyewall of a tropical cyclone.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A hill or mound. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To surround with a moat. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
competitive vulnerability
Example
"Most castles have a moat surrounding them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "moat"?
Common synonyms include: abri, abysm, abyss, approach trench, aqueduct, arch dam.
How do you use "moat" in a sentence?
Most castles have a moat surrounding them.
How do you pronounce "moat"?
Pronounced /məʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mote, from Old French mote (“mound, embankment”); compared also to Old French motte (“hillock, lump, clod, turf”), from Medieval Latin mota (“a mound, hill”), of Germanic origin, perhaps via Frankish *mot, *motta (“mud, peat, bog, turf”), from Proto-Germanic *mutô, *mudraz, *muþraz (“dirt, filth, mud, swamp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mut- (“dark, dirty”). Cognate with Alemannic German Mott, Mutte (“peat, turf”), Bavarian Mott (“peat, turf”), dialectal Dutch mot (“dust, fine sand”), Saterland Frisian mut (“grit, litter, humus”), Swedish muta (“to drizzle”), Old English mot (“speck, particle”). More at mote, mud, smut. As term for a business strategy, popularized by American investor Warren Buffett.
Etymology 2
From moat, a topographic surname for someone who lived near a moat.