jungle

American  

[juhng-guhl] / ˈdʒʌŋ gəl /

noun

• jungles
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• underjungle
  noun
• jungled
  adjective
• jungly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• jungles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of jungle

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

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Explanation

A jungle is a forest thick with trees, other plants, and animals. Jungles are a little dangerous, which is what people mean when they say, "It's a jungle out there!" Jungles — thick tropical forests — are full of life: birds, insects, reptiles, monkeys, and often gorillas and other animals. They're dangerous places, even for the animals that live there. This is why jungle also means any place that is risky or wild. If someone does something a dishonest or shady to get their way, some people will say that's "The law of the jungle," meaning you have to do some shifty things to survive.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jungle jungles

Driving on a road along the banks of the Orteguaza River in southern Colombia, Cortés pointed to the long boats churning past, piled high with food, fuel and other supplies bound for jungle communities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Previously, he would have had to fumble with a paper map that risked deteriorating in the jungle humidity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

They buried her in a jungle after midday.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

“Sorcerer” is about a group of fugitives driving a load of dynamite across the jungle; “The Weight” follows a group of Depression-era convicts transferring gold through the forest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

He was barely able to hack his way through the jungle, let alone map an unknown river.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

After years in service and living in hobo jungles, Adam returns home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

At 100, Attenborough no longer wanders the world's jungles and deserts.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

A large military transport plane carrying Colombian troops crashed Monday in a forested part of the country’s southern jungles, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Visiting the Welsh Guards has become an annual fixture for the prince, a connection which dates back to his 2003 gap year when he accompanied them in the jungles of Belize in Central America.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

I had the great luck one summer of studying the three-toed sloth in situ in the equatorial jungles of Brazil.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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Related Words

• forest
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