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

This includes the construction of a 1:1 scale airport terminal, as well as a full-size airplane cockpit. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025

These designs often have seats, spinning wheels or movable knobs that simulate those in cabins or cockpits. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025

Those remarks suggested the pilots were spending too much time and energy looking outside of the cockpit and not enough looking at their instruments, namely the three altimeters that would have indicated to them exactly how far above the ground the plane was flying. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025

Inside the cockpit, AI is assisting pilots by automating routine tasks and providing decision support during complex situations. —Kathleen Walch, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 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