Timbuktu

[ tim-buhk-too, tim-buhk-too ]

/ ˌtɪm bʌkˈtu, tɪmˈbʌk tu /

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noun

a town in central Mali, W Africa, near the Niger River.French Tombouctou.

any faraway place.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby Timbuktu

timber wolf, timberwork, timberyard, timbre, timbrel, Timbuktu, time, time after time, time and a half, time and motion study, Time and tide wait for no man

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Timbuktu in a sentence

What I particularly liked about that story was that it started in Timbuktu —the jumping-off place was Timbuktu.
Tim Cahill Is an Outside Legend. Thank Goodness He Didn’t Die.|jversteegh|December 28, 2021|Outside Online
Some of the images on the cards Paoletta shot himself, others were gifted by professional photographers, and some are public-domain historical pictures of Timbuktu.
Not getting any travel postcards? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline.|Bailey Berg|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
When there are big orders, the guides do fairly well — at least compared with other workers in Timbuktu.
Not getting any travel postcards? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline.|Bailey Berg|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
As Nialy explained how dire the guide industry in Timbuktu had become, the idea for their venture clicked for Paoletta.
Not getting any travel postcards? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline.|Bailey Berg|December 3, 2020|Washington Post

Perhaps inevitably, the women of Timbuktu were singled out for special persecution.
Women in Timbuktu Were Singled Out During al Qaeda Occupation|The Telegraph|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Lankester said that many of his Tuareg employees have left Timbuktu, Gao, and the surrounding cities.
Mali: Islamists Destroy Historic City of Timbuktu|Paula Froelich|July 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Plus, Blake Gopnik on whether destroying Timbuktu's heritage is un-Islamic.
Mali: Islamists Destroy Historic City of Timbuktu|Paula Froelich|July 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The other half are loaded with blocks of salt on the way, for salt is in great demand at Timbuktu.
From Pole to Pole|Sven Anders Hedin
What lovely things one could say about England, in Timbuktu!
Alone|Norman Douglas
But you boys told us all in Timbuktu that there was no El Hassan.
Black Man's Burden|Dallas McCord Reynolds
There was only one way that episode in Timbuktu could have taken place.
Black Man's Burden|Dallas McCord Reynolds
Timbuktu's day lasted but two or three hundred years at most.
Black Man's Burden|Dallas McCord Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for Timbuktu

Timbuktu

/ (ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː) /

noun

a town in central Mali, on the River Niger: terminus of a trans-Saharan caravan route; a great Muslim centre (14th–16th centuries). Pop: 31 973 (1998)French name: Tombouctou

any distant or outlandish placefrom here to Timbuktu

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

Cultural definitions for Timbuktu (1 of 2)

Timbuktu

[ (tim-buk-tooh) ]

A remote town in western Africa. Figuratively, it is a faraway and unknown place.

Cultural definitions for Timbuktu (2 of 2)

Timbuktu

[ (tim-buk-tooh) ]

City in central Mali, in western Africa, near the Niger River.

notes for Timbuktu

By the fourteenth century, it was famous for its gold trade.