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

Etymology

Origin of jungle

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

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

Port Kaituma is inland in the oil-rich Essequibo region, and the ferry travels along the coast in the Atlantic before heading upriver to reach its jungle destination.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Brazilian authorities meanwhile have stepped up efforts to combat the crossings, but policing the remote frontier is extremely difficult, with smugglers using unofficial river crossings and jungle trails to evade authorities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

It has also become easy for the couple to grow their jungle simply by swapping plants and trading cuttings of their more unusual plants through the online community they have built up.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Managing it, the report notes, requires navigating a bureaucratic jungle that includes the zoo commission, neighborhood councils, city attorney, city controller and other departments, as well as the mayor and the City Council.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Now, I want more than anything to disappear into the jungle and never go back.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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

"We are homeless, hiding in jungles, and living between life and death," said the 40-year-old.

From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025

Many made the treacherous journey through the jungles of the Darien Gap before setting up camp in a park near the Perkins K-8 school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2025

They are constricted on the one hand by construction that is transforming fields into concrete jungles, and on the other, by impoverished soils and competition from cheap food imports that undermine their revenue.

From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025

As we fled we might encounter more soldiers, not to mention deserts and jungles and the dangers that lurk there.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

Related Words

• forest
• wasteland
• wood