Also Tripolitania one of the former Barbary States of N Africa: later a province of Turkey; now a part of Libya.
a seaport in and the capital of Libya, in the NW part.
a seaport in N Lebanon, on the Mediterranean.
(lowercase) any of several siliceous substances, as rottenstone and infusorial earth, used chiefly in polishing.
Arabic name: Tarabulus el Gharb. Ancient name: Oea. the capital and chief port of Libya, in the northwest on the Mediterranean: founded by Phoenicians in about the 7th century bc ; the only city that has survived of the three (Oea, Leptis Magna, and Sabratha) that formed the African Tripolis ("three cities"); fishing and manufacturing centre. Pop: 1 223 300 (2002 est)
Arabic name: Tarabulus esh Sham. Ancient name: Tripolis. a port in N Lebanon, on the Mediterranean: the second largest town in Lebanon; taken by the Crusaders in 1109 after a siege of five years; oil-refining and manufacturing centre. Pop: 212 000 (2005 est)
The city dates back to the seventh century b.c.
United States war planes attacked Tripoli in 1986 in retaliation for Libyan terrorist acts against American citizens.
C17: named after Tripoli , in Libya or in Lebanon
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No, these were good old-fashioned pirates, sponsored by the Barbary states: the kingdom of Morocco was independent, while Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Marines from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli then boarded the Touska by helicopter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
On Saturday, the USS Tripoli, a naval warship, arrived in the Middle East carrying about 3,500 sailors and Marines and a transport of fighter planes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
Still, the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 3,500 Marines and sailors, arrived in the Middle East on Friday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
“Men,” he said, “it is exactly one hundred and thirty- eight years since the Marines fought in Tripoli and first raised an American flag over foreign soil.”
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
The best method of removing rust and tarnish is to polish the tools on a power buffing wheel on which has been rubbed some tripoli.
From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William
It is the chief ingredient of sand, sandstone, quartzite, chert, diatomaceous earth, and tripoli.
From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)
On a lap of wood, tripoli would fail to polish hard materials, but would polish amethyst or other quartz gem.
From A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public by Wade, Frank Bertram
Many substances are incorporated with soap, such as salt, soda ash, tripoli, crushed volcanic deposits, ground feldspar, infusorial earth of various kinds, silex, etc.
From Soap-Making Manual A Practical Handbook on the Raw Materials, Their Manipulation, Analysis and Control in the Modern Soap Plant. by Thomssen, E. G.
When dry it must be rubbed with fine tripoli.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
