Timbuktu

American  

[tim-buhk-too, tim-buhk-too] / ˌtɪm bʌkˈtu, tɪmˈbʌk tu /

noun

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

2. any faraway place.

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Timbuktu British  

/ ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː /

noun

1. French name: Tombouctou.  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)

2. any distant or outlandish place

   from here to Timbuktu

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Timbuktu ¹ Cultural  

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

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Timbuktu ² Cultural  

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

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

Example Sentences

In December, foreign tourists were able to visit Timbuktu for the first time in a decade after jihadists rendered it too dangerous.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Bakary Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute think-tank in Dakar told AFP that "Dicko is a figure who enjoys both religious respectability and popular support".

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

"The Kayes region has become a major strategic target for JNIM, which considers it a vital space," says the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

Timbuktu, a UN World Heritage Site, was captured by Islamist militants in 2012 before they were driven out, but has once more been under siege in recent years.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2025

It was like Timbuktu, by definition a place permanently far away.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel