jungle

[ juhng-guhl ]

/ ˈdʒʌŋ gəl /

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noun

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

a tract of such land.

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

any confused mass or agglomeration of objects; jumble: a jungle of wrecked automobiles.

something that baffles or perplexes; maze: a jungle of legal double-talk.

a scene of violence and struggle for survival: The neglected prison was a jungle for its inmates.

a place or situation of ruthless competition: the advertising jungle.

Slang.

(in historical use) a hobo camp: We found him by the campfire, with many similarly raggedy hobos in what is known as a jungle.
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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Origin of jungle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM jungle

jun·gled, adjectiveun·der·jun·gle, noun

Words nearby jungle

Jünger, Jungfrau, Junggar Pendi, Junggrammatiker, Jungian, jungle, jungle bunny, jungle cock, jungle fever, jungle fowl, junglegym

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use jungle in a sentence

Beth Doglio in Washington State and Georgette Gomez in California are running against fellow Democrats after the jungle primaries in their states.
Races to watch: LGBTQ issues on the line in competitive 2020 showdowns|Chris Johnson|October 28, 2020|Washington Blade
From the savannas of Kenya to the jungles of Borneo, this app reimagines natural-history storytelling and conservation filmmaking by bringing them into your living room — or whatever room you choose.
Listen to Africa’s Singing Giants|Joshua Eferighe|October 2, 2020|Ozy
I continued to see him when he entered sixth grade, and on days when I picked him up he was typically tearing around the jungle gym with friends, with an unself-consciousness that, together with his slight frame, made him seem younger than 12.
The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning|by Alec MacGillis|September 28, 2020|ProPublica
The journey begins in the Amazon inside the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, a 2,330-square-mile swath of primordial jungle teeming with ten monkey species, tapirs, and pink dolphins.
27 Epic Trips to Start Planning Now|The Editors|September 8, 2020|Outside Online

The sun’s wispy upper atmosphere, called the corona, is an ever-changing jungle of sizzling plasma.
Check out the first-ever map of the solar corona’s magnetic field|Lisa Grossman|August 21, 2020|Science News
But so-called jungle primaries are notoriously hard to predict or poll.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The legal jungle must be bulldozed, and replaced by radically simpler framework of goals and principles.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It all began, the consensus seems to be, with the red jungle fowl.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over the past week, Sony Pictures Entertainment has received more body blows than Muhammad Ali during the Rumble in the Jungle.
Sony: Hollywood’s Most Subversive Studio Under Attack|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, visitors are scarce and the jungle is taking over, leaving some locals nostalgic.
Six Must-Read Stories About the Sony Hacks, Congo’s Forgotten Colonial Getaway and Another Woman’s Story of U-VA|The Daily Beast|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It took me back to Burma and a certain very uncomfortable night that I once passed in the jungle.
Uncanny Tales|Various
To elucidate this it is necessary to plunge into the jungle of pure economic theory.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Bridges had been broken down, and the guns had to be hauled through jungle and woods under a scorching sun.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The road was a bullock track, a swamp of mud amid the larger swamp of the ploughed land and jungle.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
I was indebted to the kindness of the Messrs. Behu and Meyer for a very interesting excursion into the jungle.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for jungle

jungle

/ (ˈdʒʌŋɡəl) /

noun

an equatorial forest area with luxuriant vegetation, often almost impenetrable

any dense or tangled thicket or growth

a place of intense competition or ruthless struggle for survivalthe concrete jungle

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

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

Derived forms of jungle

jungly, adjective

Word Origin for jungle

C18: from Hindi jangal, from Sanskrit jāngala wilderness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with jungle

jungle

see law of the jungle.

jungle

Origin of jungle

OTHER WORDS FROM jungle

Words nearby jungle

Words related to jungle

How to use jungle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jungle

Derived forms of jungle

Word Origin for jungle

Other Idioms and Phrases with jungle