cabin

American  

[kab-in] / ˈkæb ɪn /

noun

1. a small house or cottage, usually of simple design and construction.

   He was born in a cabin built of rough logs.

   Synonyms:

   cottage, shack, shanty, cot

2. an enclosed space for more or less temporary occupancy, as the living quarters in a trailer or the passenger space in a cable car.

3. the enclosed space for the pilot, cargo, or especially passengers in an air or space vehicle.

4. an apartment or room in a ship, as for passengers.

5. cabin class.

6. (in a naval vessel) living accommodations for officers.

   Synonyms:

   compartment

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adverb

1. in cabin-class accommodations or by cabin-class conveyance.

   to travel cabin.

verb (used without object)

1. to live in a cabin.

   They cabin in the woods on holidays.

verb (used with object)

1. to confine; enclose tightly; cramp.

cabin British  

/ ˈkæbɪn /

noun

1. a small simple dwelling; hut

2. a simple house providing accommodation for travellers or holiday-makers at a motel or holiday camp

3. a room used as an office or living quarters in a ship

4. a covered compartment used for shelter or living quarters in a small boat

5. (in a warship) the compartment or room reserved for the commanding officer

6. another name for signal box

7. 1. the enclosed part of a light aircraft in which the pilot and passengers sit

   2. the part of an airliner in which the passengers are carried

   3. the section of an aircraft used for cargo

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verb

1. to confine in a small space

Other Word Forms

• uncabined adjective

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 ( 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

Amongst some of the most notable: "We even have a cabin in the form of a dragon's eye, two UFOs and two woodland 'conkers'"

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Meanwhile cabin crew at Lufthansa also said on Monday that they plan to hit the airline with their own further two-day strike on Wednesday and Thursday.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Hours after that chocolate spread bobbed through the cabin, the Artemis II crew disappeared behind the moon and briefly lost contact with society.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“I was going for a log cabin feel,” she states.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

They turned and stared up at the cabin supposedly belonging to Hesterfowl.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• box
• camp
• chalet
• compartment
• cottage
• home
• hut
• lodge
• room
• shack
• shanty
• shed
• shelter