Dili

American

[dil-ee] / ˈdɪl i /

Or Dilli,

noun

a city on NE Timor, the capital of East Timor.

Dili British

/ ˈdiːliː /

noun

the capital (from 2002) of independent East Timor: the former capital (until 1976) of Portuguese Timor. Pop: 50 000 (2005 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite this, many returned to the streets, with one protester telling the BBC that they estimated a turn out of around 2,000 demonstrators in the capital Dili on Wednesday.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

Families' homes are being demolished near Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, in the area where Pope Francis will celebrate mass next month.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2024

A large delegation of Chinese companies arrived in East Timor's capital Dili on Thursday to continue discussions on potential investment in oil and gas projects, he said.

From Reuters • Sep. 29, 2023

“He has a charisma and rich experience as a leader,” a Dili resident, Joao Agustino Sarmento, said of Gusmao.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2023

The only remaining possession of the Portuguese in the Malay Archipelago is Dili in the island of Timor.

From A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century by Barbosa, Duarte

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023