Defensive ditch
The crossword clue "Defensive ditch" is answered by MOAT, a 4-letter entry. Used 21 times across 15 distinct years; most recently in 2025; first recorded in 1988. It appears in 12 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself, never from a guess.
The answer
MOAT
4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the MOAT answer page.
Used 21 times across 15 distinct years; most recently in 2025; first recorded in 1988. It appears in 12 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.
Other answers for this clue
The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.
Other clues for MOAT
Every other clue in this collection answered by MOAT, most used first.
- Castle defense - used 121 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle protection - used 56 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle protector - used 40 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle surrounder - used 31 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle ditch - used 24 times, most recently in 2023
- Water around a castle - used 22 times, most recently in 2026
- Zoo barrier - used 22 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle trench - used 18 times, most recently in 2025
- Water under the drawbridge - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
- Protective ditch - used 16 times, most recently in 2023
- Protective trench - used 16 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle's defense - used 15 times, most recently in 2026
- Ditch. - used 14 times, most recently in 1968
- Trench around a castle - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
- Water under the bridge? - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
- Castle feature - used 12 times, most recently in 2024
- Ditch around a castle - used 11 times, most recently in 2022
- Medieval defense - used 11 times, most recently in 2013
- Zoo trench - used 10 times, most recently in 2024
- Ring around a castle - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
- A drawbridge may span one - used 7 times, most recently in 2018
- Castle circler - used 7 times, most recently in 2023
- Ditch under a drawbridge - used 7 times, most recently in 2026
- Rampart surrounder - used 6 times, most recently in 2006
- Ring around the castle - used 6 times, most recently in 2008
- Tower of London feature - used 6 times, most recently in 2023
Related clues
Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.
- Defensive spray - MACE, used 36 times
- Ditch - LOSE, used 20 times
- Clinton's "Big Ditch" - ERIE, used 6 times
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