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

Nedoune, a Tuareg herder in his fifties, said he was fetching water two years ago in the northern Timbuktu region when a convoy spotted him.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

They are now advancing on Timbuktu and seeking to lay siege to the capital of Bamako.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Meanwhile, according to Keita, the director of Mali Tourism, about 100 Russian tourists visited for the biennial in Timbuktu.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Traditionally, the group's operations have been concentrated in northern and central Mali - in Mopti, Segou and Timbuktu.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

Elsewhere, in Zambia maybe, or Timbuktu, the men knew how to dress.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye