Moat

Definitions

1. A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
2. A surname.
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
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.
6. A hill or mound.
   obsolete

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

““I think⟳ ‘moats’ are lame,” Mr. Musk had said during a Tesla earnings call⟳. It was a criticism of an economic principle that Mr. Buffett had coined in 1999 and that has become⟳ something of a mantra for his faithful: Invest⟳ in businesses “that have⟳ wide, sustainable moats around them.””

“Moreover, where older firms might have⟳ to stave off competitors and engage⟳ in practices like⟳ predatory pricing to keep⟳ the competition at bay, platform monopolies have⟳ a built-in moat. Since a platform’s value comes from its number⟳ of users—a phenomenon known as the network effect—competing against large platforms is nigh impossible since its monopoly position makes it inherently more useful.”

CEFR level