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 report said that a thrust reverser indicator light wasn’t working before takeoff, but after the plane got into the air, the pilot’s altimeter and some other instruments weren’t working on the left side of the cockpit.
—
Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Dutton’s 20-year-old son, Jack, was in the right-hand seat of the cockpit.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2026
Development of the new jet had reached the stage where Boeing had to determine which changes to the cockpit airline pilots should be alerted to, particularly changes in the controls affecting its handling.
—Clive Irving, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
But the fact that drivers will need to change their approaches as well and become smarter in their use and recovery of battery energy makes this a shift that will be felt all the more sharply in the cockpit.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
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Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Dutton’s 20-year-old son, Jack, was in the right-hand seat of the cockpit.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2026
Development of the new jet had reached the stage where Boeing had to determine which changes to the cockpit airline pilots should be alerted to, particularly changes in the controls affecting its handling.
—Clive Irving, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
But the fact that drivers will need to change their approaches as well and become smarter in their use and recovery of battery energy makes this a shift that will be felt all the more sharply in the cockpit.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
Cite this Entry
“Cockpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockpit. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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