# jungle

/ˈdʒəŋɡəɫ/ (US) · /dʒˈʌŋɡəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/jungle
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. tropical forest

noun · CEFR A2

a thick, tropical forest where many wild plants and animals live.

For teachers: a dense, humid tropical forest or rainforest characterized by thick undergrowth.

- The explorers spent three days trekking through the thick jungle to find the ancient temple.
- Conservationists are working to protect the remaining jungle from illegal logging that threatens the habitat of endangered primates.

Usage: Often used with 'the' when referring to the habitat in general.

### 2. ruthless environment

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a place where people are very competitive and do not follow rules or care about others.

For teachers: a place or situation characterized by ruthless competition, struggle for survival, or a lack of moral constraints.

- The business world can be a jungle where only the strongest companies survive.
- In the cutthroat world of high-frequency trading, many young professionals find the office environment to be a literal jungle.

Usage: Commonly used in the phrase 'it's a jungle out there'.

Teaching tip: This is a common metaphor in business or urban life to describe harsh competition.

### 3. tangled mess

noun · CEFR B2

a messy or complicated group of things that are hard to separate.

For teachers: a confused or tangled mass of objects or ideas.

- There was a jungle of computer cables behind his desk that took hours to untangle.
- The garden had become a jungle of weeds and overgrown vines after years of neglect by the previous owners.

### 4. music genre

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of fast electronic dance music with heavy drums and bass.

For teachers: a style of electronic dance music characterized by very fast breakbeats and heavy basslines, originating in the early 1990s.

- The club played old-school jungle music all night long.
- The producer's early tracks were instrumental in defining the jungle sound before the genre evolved into modern drum and bass.

Usage: Uncountable in this sense.

Teaching tip: While related to 'drum and bass', jungle is often seen as the earlier, more raw version of the genre.

## Examples

- Many colorful birds live deep in the jungle.
- The explorers spent three days hacking through the thick jungle to reach the ancient ruins.
- The city's financial district is often described as a concrete jungle where only the most aggressive and adaptable firms manage to survive.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.