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 drivers, who had to share each cockpit with their teammate, loved it. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 2 July 2026

The plane had two seats in the cockpit and two benches in the cabin for the skydivers, the NTSB said. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

The mother and son took turns sitting in the cockpits of the historic military aircraft during their visit to the Royal Air Force base. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026

Advertisement My father stayed in the cockpit, flying passenger and cargo routes through a country at war because he was needed and because there was nothing else to do for a man who could only fly. — Mahsa Alimardani, Time, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cockpit

• cockpit voice recorder

Rhymes for cockpit

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

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