jungle

[juhng-guhl]

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.

jungle

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• jungled adjective
• underjungle noun
• jungly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jungle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of jungle¹

C18: from Hindi jangal, from Sanskrit jāngala wilderness

Idioms and Phrases

see law of the jungle.

Example Sentences

He was among seven children killed in the bombing on a guerrilla outpost in the jungle department of Guaviare that claimed 20 lives in all.

Read more on Barron's

The pair join fellow campmates, including Martin Kemp, Ruby Wax, Jack Osbourne and Kelly Brook, who have been in the jungle since the show's launch on Sunday.

Read more on BBC

“It looks more like a jungle than a school. Why has no one cut down this greenery?”

Read more on Literature

Alexander dangled from the musket as if it were part of a jungle gym, while Beowulf was perched on the man’s head, wrestling vigorously with the hat.

Read more on Literature

Honduras, with its many jungle landing-strips used for drug trafficking, is next on the menu.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• forest 
• wasteland 
• wood