jungle

UK: /ˈdʒʌŋg^əl/ US: /ˈdʒʌŋgəl/ ,( jung′gəl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

jun•gle /ˈdʒʌŋgəl/   n. 

1. Ecology wild land overgrown with thick, dense plant life, often nearly impossible to penetrate:
   [uncountable] The country is all jungle.
   [countable] the jungles of the world.
2. something that causes confusion:
   [countable] a jungle of rules and regulations.
3. a place of violent struggle:
   [countable] the jungle of the ghetto streets.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

jun•gle  ( jung′gəl), n. 

1. Ecology a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, esp. tropical vegetation or a tropical rain forest.
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.] a hobo camp.

• Pali, Prakrit jaṅgala rough, waterless place
• Hindi jaṅgal
• 1770–80

jun′gled, adj. 

Jungle, The, 

1. Literature a novel (1906) by Upton Sinclair.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

jungle / ˈdʒʌŋɡ^əl/ 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

Etymology: 18th Century: from Hindi jangal, from Sanskrit jāngala wilderness

ˈjungly adjective