Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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:

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

Luxe amenities include four guest suites and an outdoor living area with a pool and spa, a cabana, and a kitchen.

From MarketWatch Dec. 29, 2025

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

The Times found, for example, records of projects categorized in primary fields as new buildings but described in the freehand notes as a garage or cabana.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 17, 2025

“This is how life was meant to be lived,” Goddard told Rowan as they luxuriated in his open-face cabana, looking out over the festivities.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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

A row over the acceptable use of cabanas has dominated social media, spawned a wave of opinion pieces and television segments, and even dragged in the prime minister.

From BBC Jan. 8, 2025

Reede coordinated custom finishes for the pool’s cabanas, furniture and for the umbrellas, custom, period-correct frames and fabric.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 17, 2024

I was at the Beverly Hills Hotel, on one of the pool cabanas.

From Salon May 18, 2024

Rustic thatched-roof cabanas were built on Rest Beach.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training