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

The dogs’ sleeping quarters are modeled after the park’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, with its fort-like corridors made of sun-dried brick, the walls strewn with overgrown jungle vines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

But the whole experience has made me wary enough that now, whether I’ve trekked through nature or the concrete jungle, a quick tick check is a part of my nighttime routine.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

“How do you know he’s not still alive in the jungle, like you hear about in ’Nam?…

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

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

Ekon searched the trees all around him for a moment before his eyes dropped to the jungle floor.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

For those whose husbands fought for the British in the jungles of places like Malaya and Borneo in the1950s and 60s time is now running out.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

"Roads were made and security forces opened camps inside the jungles," local police chief Sundarraj P, who spent years fighting the insurgency, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

After conquering South America, which involved dodging gangs in the jungles of the Darien Gap, which bridges Panama and Colombia, his route took him through Mexico.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026

The firm’s crew was in Hawaii’s jungles to troubleshoot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025

His words would take hold of me and lift me far away, to the sacred mountains and the hot jungles and the first conversations our ancestors had with the sun.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

Related Words

• forest
• wasteland
• wood