Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

jungle

Syllabification: (jun·gle)
Pronunciation: /ˈjəNGgəl/
Translate jungle | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of jungle

noun

  • 1an area of land overgrown with dense forest and tangled vegetation, typically in the tropics:we set off into the jungle the lakes are hidden in dense jungle
  • a wild tangled mass of vegetation or other things:the garden was a jungle of bluebells
  • a situation or place of bewildering complexity or brutal competitiveness:it’s a jungle out there
  • (also hobo jungle) informal a hobo camp.
  • 2 (also jungle music) a style of dance music incorporating elements of ragga, hip-hop, and hard core and consisting almost exclusively of very fast electronic drum tracks and slower synthesized bass lines, originating in Britain in the early 1990s. Compare with drum and bass.

Phrases

the law of the jungle

the principle that those who are strong and apply ruthless self-interest will be most successful.

Derivatives

jungled

adjective

jungly

adjective

Origin:

late 18th century: via Hindi from Sanskrit jāṅgala 'rough and arid (terrain)'

jungle in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of jungle in the British & World English dictionary
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnɒkjʊlə /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …