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

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

The actress portrayed diverse roles - in her latest show inspired by the folk tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, she was playing a royal princess.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2023

The next day, as if opening the cavern of Ali Baba, Zappa unlocked the heavy wooden door of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a seemingly simple church.

From Washington Post • Sep. 9, 2022

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

Miss Saunders is giving us twenty pages of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to read by tomorrow and telling us she’s been easy on us so far, but things are about to heat up.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake