cabin

1 of 2

noun

cab·​in ˈka-bən 

1

a(1)

: a private room on a ship or boat

(2)

: a compartment below deck on a boat used for living accommodations

b

: the passenger or cargo compartment of a vehicle (such as an airplane or automobile)

c

: the crew compartment of an exploratory vehicle (such as a spacecraft)

2

: a small one-story dwelling usually of simple construction

3

chiefly British : cab sense 3

cabin

2 of 2

verb

cabined; cabining; cabins

intransitive verb

: to live in or as if in a cabin

transitive verb

: confine, restrain

significantly cabins the discretion of administrators

—A. M. Dershowitz

Synonyms

Noun

• hut
• camp
• shack

Examples of cabin in a Sentence

Noun

a cabin in the woods

Don't unbuckle your seat belt until the flight attendant says it is safe to move around the cabin.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Intruder by Freida McFadden When a hurricane bears down on her remote cabin, Casey discovers a bloodied, knife-wielding girl outside her window and reluctantly lets her in. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025

Prefab Customizable Tiny Home This cabin-style tiny home is easy to set up and primed to let in gorgeous natural light with a glass double door entrance and a number of windows surrounding the house. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025

Verb

But Colter's buildings are not the oldest in the lodge and cabins complex. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025

Guests can choose to stay in the main lodge, cabins that range from one to four bedrooms or a campground where RVs and tents are allowed. —Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cabane, from Middle French, from Old Occitan cabana hut, from Medieval Latin capanna

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1586, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing cabin

• cabin boy
• cabin car
• cabin class
• cabin cruiser
• cabin fever
• log cabin
• pressure cabin

Rhymes for cabin

• graben

Kids Definition

cabin

noun

cab·​in

ˈkab-ən

1

a

: a small private room on a ship

b

: a compartment below deck on a small boat for passengers or crew

c

: a compartment (as in an airplane, airship, or spacecraft) for cargo, crew, or passengers

2

: a small simple dwelling usually having only one story