King of the Jungle

noun

The lion, Panthera leo.

“He thinks he's King of the Jungle around here? He's got another think coming.”

Similar
king of beastsking of the hillking of the castletop dogbaronbig cheesebig enchiladabig gun
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Meanings

nounKing of the Jungle (plural Kings of the Jungle)

plural Kings of the Jungle

  1. idiomaticThe lion, Panthera leo.

    Synonyms: king of beasts

  2. figurativelyidiomaticSomeone who dominates some scene, being the leader in their field, the dominant criminal in a region, etc.

    He thinks he's King of the Jungle around here? He's got another think coming.

    Synonyms: king of the hill, king of the castle, top dog, baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see king, jungle.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe lion, Panthera leo.

Similar
king of beasts

nounSomeone who dominates some scene, being the leader in their field, the dominant criminal in a region, etc.

Similar
king of the hillking of the castletop dogbaronbig cheesebig enchiladabig gunbig kahunabig manbig namebig noisebig shotbigwigbig wheelbossgrand poobahhead honchoheavy hitterheavyweighthigh muckamuck
Also see
king of beastsking of the castleking of the hill

Origin

Referring to the lion being one of the top predators in India (alongside the tiger) and the African continent, which were depicted in Western pop culture as jungles.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

King of the Jungle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/King%20of%20the%20Jungle

MLA

“King of the Jungle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/King%20of%20the%20Jungle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “King of the Jungle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/King%20of%20the%20Jungle.

Source: King of the Jungle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.