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cabana

American  
[kuh-ban-uh, -ban-yuh, -bah-nuh, -bahn-yuh] / kəˈbæn ə, -ˈbæn jə, -ˈbɑ nə, -ˈbɑn jə /
Spanish cabaña

noun

  • cabanas
    plural
  1. a small cabin or tentlike structure for use as a bathhouse, especially on a beach or by a swimming pool.

  2. a cabin or cottage.


cabana British  
/ kəˈbɑːnə /

noun

  1. a tent used as a dressing room by the sea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of cabana

1830–40; < Spanish cabaña; see cabin


Explanation

A cabana is a small, sometimes portable changing room near a swimming pool or beach. You may put your swim suit on in a cabana before diving into the cold ocean water. A traditional cabana is a tent that can be moved from one spot to another on the beach. It's a mobile dressing room, where swimmers can dry off and put their clothes on. You can use the word cabana to describe any poolside changing room or building — it comes from the Spanish cabaña, with its Late Latin root capana, "hut" or "cabin."

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Vocabulary lists containing cabana

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:

LIsting image reveal private stone steps that lead down to the beach, where a small cabana has been stationed—with a private gate keeping out any unwanted visitor.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Food and drink - both with a tropical theme - is delivered directly to your cabana by one of the 50 staff who work at the venue, which can hold up to 500 people.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

Wolfram says his family splurges on a cabana so they have a base for the day and don’t have to navigate Nassau with a big group, including his parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

The idea, he says, emerged from a pool cabana at a Las Vegas legal conference called Mass Torts Made Perfect in fall 2015.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025

Meaning Mom could be lounging by an oceanside cabana and eating sushi just about anywhere.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

He eventually settled on a neighborhood in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Featuring two resort-style pools with cabanas, and pickleball courts, the neighborhood seemed ideal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The overhaul will include infrastructure rooms, guest-room and restaurant refreshes and upgrades to the pool deck and cabanas, Toscano said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

"We don't have any water features, unfortunately, but we do have sand and cabanas you can book."

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

Built in 2020, the Clarendon Apartments in Woodland Hills feature poolside cabanas, a fire pit terrace and 24-hour community room with a kitchen and a billiard table.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025

Rustic thatched-roof cabanas were built on Rest Beach.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

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