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”

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

Actor Adam Thomas has been crowned king of the jungle in the latest all-star version of reality TV show I'm A Celebrity...

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The last rebels, who had been forced into a pocket of hilly jungle about twice the size of London, said they were fighting for the rights of the marginalised Indigenous people in the mineral-rich region.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

“We’re not in the jungle here. You’re treating me just like an animal now.”

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

“California’s jungle primary system also allows for the debate to include a wide spectrum of viewpoints and proposals to tackle those challenges that will reverberate across the country in this pivotal election year.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

And with his enemy staring down at him from atop the jungle gym.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Related Words

• forest
• wasteland
• wood