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

On the plane from Lisbon to London, a fire broke out in the cockpit. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

Operating them isn't merely a matter of shrinking standard flight systems down into a smaller airframe or designing around the absence of a cockpit. — New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026

Airborne at one point during testing, Silva reportedly inched out on the helicopter's right skid — with no safety belt — to investigate the cause of intense vibrations shaking the cockpit, according to a 2009 interview with Smithsonian Magazine. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

The heavy lifting comes from the removal of an external staircase on the main deck aft, turning the cockpit and upper deck aft into dedicated social hubs without giving up space to structure or service. — Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 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