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Glite Dictionary
🏰 To dig a ditch 🛡️ To protect business
to build a moat

to build a moat

2 7.4
To dig a deep, wide ditch around a building and fill it with water to protect it
  • idiom
  • /bɪld ə moʊt/
translation icon : construir un foso
  • In the story, the villagers worked together to build a moat to defend against their enemies.

Examples

  • Otherwise, why would zoos build moats around their monkey and ape compounds?

    Academic text (1995)

  • As evidence, he notes that the villagers built their defensive moat within inches of the ditches of the old enclosure.

    Academic text (2006)

  • On his second day, he's going to build a moat, and since he's truly fond of becoming royalty, he will change the designation of the White House to Palace.

    Blog text (21)

  • Last summer, we decided to build a moat around the castle for added security.

  • The architects designed a plan to build a moat that would protect the estate from intruders.

Synonyms

to wall
vsto build a moat
41 6.4

To surround an area with a wall to protect it

is a dug waterfilled barrier used for defense instead of a built barrier
to ditch
vsto build a moat
2 3.4

To dig a long, narrow trench to carry water away

is a deep wide trench dug for defense and often filled with water

Antonyms

to fill
∞ 1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

How Defensive

to wall
41 6.4
to build a moat
2 7.4

Surface Forms

build a moat infinitive
built a moat past
built a moat past participle
building a moat present participle
builds a moat third person singular

Morphology

build + a + moat

The literal meanings of 'build' (create) and 'moat' (a defensive ditch) map clearly onto the idea of creating a protective barrier, so a B1 learner who knows the words can infer the general sense of making protections around something. However, the specific business nuances (patents, network effects, brand strength) are a metaphorical extension requiring domain awareness, so the expression is not fully compositional.

Etymology

Build a moat comes from old castles: people would build a deep, wide moat filled with water around a castle so enemies could not easily get in. That's why it means 'to protect a place from attack'.