jungle

American  

[juhng-guhl] / ˈdʒʌŋ gəl /

noun

1. a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, especially tropical vegetation or a tropical rainforest.

2. a tract of such land.

3. a wilderness of dense overgrowth; a piece of swampy, thickset forestland.

4. any confused mass or agglomeration of objects; jumble.

   a jungle of wrecked automobiles.

5. something that baffles or perplexes; maze.

   a jungle of legal double-talk.

6. a scene of violence and struggle for survival.

   The neglected prison was a jungle for its inmates.

7. a place or situation of ruthless competition.

   the advertising jungle.

8. Slang.

   1. (in historical use) a hobo camp.

      We found him by the campfire, with many similarly raggedy hobos in what is known as a jungle.

   2. any camp of unhoused individuals.

      Law enforcement clears the jungle and tears down the temporary structures a few times each year, but people return and a new encampment always springs up.

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jungle British  

/ ˈdʒʌŋɡəl /

noun

1. an equatorial forest area with luxuriant vegetation, often almost impenetrable

2. any dense or tangled thicket or growth

3. a place of intense competition or ruthless struggle for survival

   the concrete jungle

4. a type of fast electronic dance music, originating in the early 1990s, which combines elements of techno and ragga

5. slang (esp in the Depression) a gathering place for the unemployed, etc

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jungle Idioms  

1. see law of the jungle.

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Other Word Forms

• jungled adjective
• jungly adjective
• underjungle noun

Etymology

Origin of jungle

First recorded in 1770–80; from Hindi jaṅgal, from Sanskrit jaṅgala “uncultivated land, dry land, waterless place”

Example Sentences

The Hercules aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador, strewing burning wreckage on the jungle floor.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Like most of the others, Rodríguez had never set foot in Mexico and had never heard of this city of a million people surrounded by dense jungle.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

Written by Saturday Night Live star Tina Fey, it follows home-schooled Cady Heron, who grew up in Africa, as she navigates the jungle of her new US high school.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Its glamour, abundance and sheer scale — a true concrete jungle — can be loved or hated depending on who you ask.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

He suddenly realized the jungle had gone quiet.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• forest
• wasteland
• wood