cockpit

American  

[kok-pit] / ˈkɒkˌpɪt /

noun

• cockpits
  plural

1. a space, usually enclosed, in the forward fuselage of an airplane containing the flying controls, instrument panel, and seats for the pilot and copilot or flight crew.

2. a sunken, open area, generally in the after part of a small vessel, as a yacht, providing space for the pilot, part or all of the crew, or guests.

3. the space, including the seat and instrumentation, surrounding the driver of an automobile.

4. a pit or enclosed place for cockfights.

5. a place where a contest is fought or which has been the scene of many contests or battles.

6. (formerly) a space below the water line in a warship, occupied by the quarters of the junior officers and used as a dressing station for those wounded in action.

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cockpit British  

/ ˈkɒkˌpɪt /

noun

1. the compartment in a small aircraft in which the pilot, crew, and sometimes the passengers sit Compare flight deck

2. the driver's compartment in a racing car

3. nautical

   1. an enclosed or recessed area towards the stern of a small vessel from which it is steered

   2. (formerly) an apartment in a warship used as quarters for junior officers and as a first-aid station during combat

4. the site of numerous battles or campaigns

5. an enclosure used for cockfights

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cockpits
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cockpit

First recorded in 1580–90; cock ¹ + pit ¹

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Explanation

The cockpit is the area where the pilots and crew sit to fly an airplane. In a small plane, the cockpit might be occupied by a single pilot. A cockpit, also called a flight deck, is like a ship's bridge or a truck's cab — it's where the person controlling the vehicle sits. A race car driver's seat is sometimes also called a cockpit. The original meaning was literally "pit where a cockfight happens," and in the 1700s cockpit became the Royal Navy's term for the area where a coxswain, or ship's pilot, was stationed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cockpit cockpits

She managed to swap a shift to make sure she could be in the cockpit for the flight on Monday.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

At the top level, 140 feet up, you walk out onto a structural glass-floor ledge and stare down into the shuttle’s cockpit, through your feet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Another pilot assigned to the return flight who was also on board "noticed the cockpit door opening and closing repeatedly in an unusual manner", according to the findings.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

And some drivers find the cooling top uncomfortable in the tight confines of the cockpit.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

She raced for her plane, jumped into the cockpit, and took the controls.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Based in a converted Second World War hangar overlooking San Francisco Bay, the start-up makes self-flying aircraft without cockpits, designed either to spray crops or deliver cargo.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The Air Line Pilots Association, a major aviator union, has backed the Senate version, which President Jason Ambrosi said would more quickly get needed safety technology integrated into cockpits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

The company’s site in Garden Grove, Calif., creates plane windows and clear enclosures that cover the cockpits of F-35 jet fighters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

China is now considered by many as leading in areas like smart cockpits, battery technology and assisted driving systems.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

It was a flimsy thing made of plywood covered with fabric, with two cockpits that were open to the wind and rain and snow.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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Related Words

• cabin
• compartment

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