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

Once the flight, traveling from Philadelphia to Orlando, reached cruising altitude, Haak bolt-locked the cockpit door and began to view pornography, remove his clothing and masturbate, according to the lawsuit. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025

How does such a war look from inside a cockpit? —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 5 Dec. 2025

Surgeons operated from a cockpit in the operating room, using an input device that provided real-time augmentation, overlays, and tactile paddles while viewing a 3D monitor fed by multimodal imaging. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Dec. 2025

The poster shows Dosanjh in a fighter jet cockpit, portraying an Indian Air Force officer. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cockpit

• cockpit voice recorder

Rhymes for cockpit

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

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