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
Nguyen, a 2015 Purdue graduate, wanted to inspire other Asian women to get in the cockpit.
—
Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 31 July 2025
Visual simulations in the windows add to the effect, as do details like the flight attendant uniforms worn by servers and a phone on the wall, which guests can pick up to listen in on the conversations in the cockpit.
—Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025
The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, sounds an alarm in the cockpit if planes could be getting too close to each other.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
Debate has reignited over installing cockpit video cameras in airliners after the deadly Air India crash.
—Dan Catchpole, USA Today, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
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Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 31 July 2025
Visual simulations in the windows add to the effect, as do details like the flight attendant uniforms worn by servers and a phone on the wall, which guests can pick up to listen in on the conversations in the cockpit.
—Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025
The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, sounds an alarm in the cockpit if planes could be getting too close to each other.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
Debate has reignited over installing cockpit video cameras in airliners after the deadly Air India crash.
—Dan Catchpole, USA Today, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
Cite this Entry
“Cockpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockpit. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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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