cockpit

noun

cock·​pit ˈkäk-ˌpit 

1

a

: a pit or enclosure for cockfights

b

: a place noted for especially bloody, violent, or long-continued conflict

2

obsolete : the pit of a theater

3

: a compartment in a sailing warship used as quarters for junior officers and for treatment of the wounded in an engagement

4

: a space or compartment in a usually small vehicle (such as a boat, airplane, or automobile) from which it is steered, piloted, or driven see airplane illustration

Examples of cockpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The scariest announcement, though, is the one coming from the cockpit prior to landing. —Michel A. Ibrahim, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2025

The black boxes can provide cockpit conversations and data related to the plane’s engine and control settings to investigators and help them in determining the cause of the crash. —Sheikh Saaliq, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

The device will reveal information about the engine and control settings, in addition to cockpit conversations, Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers said in a statement. —Arkansas Online, 14 June 2025

The main deck’s open-plan design connects the shaded cockpit lounge to the galley and forward salon via a clever up-down glass panel. —Katia Damborsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cockpit

• cockpit voice recorder

Rhymes for cockpit

• acquit
• admit
• amrit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit
• commit
• dalit
• dendrite
• emit
• illite
• misfit

Kids Definition

cockpit

noun

cock·​pit ˈkäk-ˌpit 

: a space or compartment in a usually small vehicle (as a boat, airplane, or automobile) from which it is steered, piloted, or driven