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 open-cockpit flight crossed about 22 miles of Tampa Bay in roughly 23 minutes. — Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

There's also the question of whether a single-seat piloted aircraft provides enough benefits compared with a drone, which can conduct aerial surveillance without putting an officer in the cockpit. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Unlike conventional cargo planes, Aviern’s aircraft are being designed without cockpits, passenger seats, or onboard crew systems. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Most of the helicopter was consumed by fire after the crash, so no meaningful data could be gleaned from the majority of the cockpit gauges, according to the report. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 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