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Glite Dictionary
King of the Jungle

King of the Jungle

3.7
A name people use for a very strong animal or person like a lion
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : Rey de la selva
  • The lion is often called the King of the Jungle because of its power and majesty.

Examples

  • The lion is often referred to as the King of the Jungle.

  • Many children admire the King of the Jungle for its courage and strength.

  • After winning the championship, the boxer declared himself the King of the Jungle.

  • In many cultures, the tiger is considered the King of the Jungle.

  • The lion is often called the King of the Jungle because of its dominance and strength in the wild.

  • In the African savanna, the lion reigns as the King of the Jungle, symbolizing power and authority.

  • Many people believe the tiger deserves the title of King of the Jungle for its incredible strength and agility.

Synonyms

lion
vsKing of the Jungle
389 1.0

A large wild cat with a tawny coat and a shaggy mane on males

is an informal title used to show dominance rather than the actual animal
tiger
vsKing of the Jungle
216 1.0

A large wild cat from Asian forests with orange fur and black stripes, now rare

is an informal title applied to big cats rather than the real animal species
king of beasts
vsKing of the Jungle
4.4

A lion that people think is powerful and noble

is used informally for either big cat to stress strength in the wild

How Dominant

King of the Jungle
  • Informal
3.7
predator
204 2.9
animal
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

King of the Jungle singular
Kings of the Jungle plural

Morphology

king + of + the + jungle

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'king' (the most powerful) + 'of the jungle' (the domain), yielding 'the dominant/most powerful animal in the jungle' (commonly a lion). This compositional structure and the common noun + of construction are cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

King of the Jungle may come from the image of a lion whose big mane looks like a crown, so people called it a king of the wild jungle. That's why saying King of the Jungle today means someone is 'in charge' or 'strong'.