cabin
Americannoun
-
cabins
plural
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a small house or cottage, usually of simple design and construction.
He was born in a cabin built of rough logs.
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an enclosed space for more or less temporary occupancy, as the living quarters in a trailer or the passenger space in a cable car.
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the enclosed space for the pilot, cargo, or especially passengers in an air or space vehicle.
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an apartment or room in a ship, as for passengers.
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(in a naval vessel) living accommodations for officers.
- Synonyms:
- compartment
adverb
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small simple dwelling; hut
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a simple house providing accommodation for travellers or holiday-makers at a motel or holiday camp
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a room used as an office or living quarters in a ship
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a covered compartment used for shelter or living quarters in a small boat
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(in a warship) the compartment or room reserved for the commanding officer
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another name for signal box
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the enclosed part of a light aircraft in which the pilot and passengers sit
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the part of an airliner in which the passengers are carried
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the section of an aircraft used for cargo
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verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cabin
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English cabane, from Middle French, from Old Provençal cabana, from Late Latin capanna, of uncertain, perhaps pre-Latin origin; spelling with “i” perhaps by influence of French cabine ( see cabinet)
Explanation
A small wooden hut or cottage can be called a cabin, especially if it's in a remote or wooded place. Your grandfather's cabin on a lake might be your favorite place to visit in the summer. You might dream of living in a cabin deep in the forest, or on the edge of a mountain. Another kind of cabin is a small compartment or room, particularly one on a ship or an airplane. If you have "cabin fever," it means you're restless and cranky after being stuck in a small space for too long. The word comes from a Late Latin root, capanna, "hut."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her owners left the dog, who Boucher believes may also be a Chihuahua mix, inside their cabin as they explored the national park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Delta Air Lines has led the U.S. airline industry’s premium-travel push and this week we got a look at what’s coming to its pricey Delta One business-class cabin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
After gaining entry, he "intervened with the assistance of a cabin crew member and several passengers, and together they rescued the injured captain and restrained the suspect".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
A man who lives in a log cabin and keeps wallabies, mongooses, porcupines, parrots and other rare birds has been told to move.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
In the cabin, he found the flags he’d never used: one with blue-and-white checks and the other striped.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Some teams have complained about the temporary cabins, even saying the beds are too short.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The well-appointed accommodations included double-occupancy cabins; two long, windowed promenades; a dining room, bar and smoking lounge; a dedicated writing room; toilets and a shower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The bedrooms themselves differ from those of his typical houses and in character are more like staterooms, comfortable private cabins for sleeping between your turns on deck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
"The whole ship was a sweat box," he said, with some passengers in cabins that had no windows resorting to sleeping on the ship's roof.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
They all burst from their sleeping cabins and dashed for the cove, but halted on the path when it became clear that the shouting was only excitement.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
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