Ali Baba

American  

[ah-lee bah-bah, al-ee bab-uh] / ˈɑ li ˈbɑ bɑ, ˈæl i ˈbæb ə /

noun

1. the poor woodcutter, hero of a tale in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, who uses the magic words “Open sesame” to open the door to the cave in which the Forty Thieves had hidden their treasure.

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Ali Baba British  

/ ˈælɪ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. (in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments ) a poor woodcutter who discovers that the magic words "open sesame" will open the doors of the cave containing the treasure of the Forty Thieves

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Ali Baba Cultural  

1. The title character in “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” a story from the Arabian Nights. Ali Baba gains the treasure of the thieves, which they keep in a cave with a magical entrance.

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Ali Baba opens the door of the thieves' cave with the magical password “Open, sesame.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ali Baba

Murrell's embezzlement began with the purchase of two Ali Baba laundry baskets from Amazon in August 2010 - just one month after his wedding to Nicola Sturgeon.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

Police were on scene Monday afternoon in Granada Hills after a Tesla driver lost control and careened into the Ali Baba Persian Restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

While the story of a pauper-turned-prince has long appeared in Western editions of Nights, it—like those of Ali Baba and Sindbad—isn’t an original.

From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2019

“This was the opening of the Ali Baba cavern,” Righetti told me.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 19, 2018

We all stand in the backyard, Hassan, Ali, Baba, and I. The mullah recites the prayer, rubs his beard.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini