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 future of aviation is not about removing pilots from the cockpit. —Tim Burns, Fortune, 9 June 2026

Its narrow fuselage and tandem cockpit became the template for future gunships. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 June 2026

The pilot remains in control, steering via the cockpit tiller and pedals. —David Szondy june 07, New Atlas, 7 June 2026

Before entering academia, Furness spent more than two decades developing advanced cockpit and immersive interface systems for high-performance operational environments. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 4 June 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