cabin
Americannoun
-
cabins
plural
-
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:
But the group's flagship airline Lufthansa saw its operating profit fall in part due to cabin crew and pilot strikes.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
At a North Carolina cabin, I once envisioned mornings of cinnamon rolls, bacon and porch-side coffee, only to discover approximately three plates and no coffee maker.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
The cabin bunk and a mattress purchased by Action for Children made a "massive difference", she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Deep cuts: A group of partiers visiting a cabin near Crystal Lake join forces with a brother who is searching for his missing sister.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
As Hesterfowl’s cabin loomed closer, it became clear exactly how far it had fallen into ruin.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Anthony and his husband used to list five of their 12 cabins in North Yorkshire on Airbnb...
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
For as little as $100,000, passengers on the Odyssey, a 642-foot cruise ship, bought cabins and embarked on what they expected to be a yearslong voyage around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
"We have single-man cabins, there's good gym facilities, there's a lot of rec rooms here."
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Some teams have complained about the temporary cabins, even saying the beds are too short.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
We stayed in cozy, wood-paneled cabins surrounded by forest, buzzed around in golf carts, and rode bikes.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
