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

Etymology

Origin of cockpit

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

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

“It lets us build more dynamic, immersive experiences. In the cockpit of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, that now means Unreal Engine 5 delivers a more responsive, cinematic experience than ever before.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

A few hundred yards away, the cockpit window of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon fills the dunes of Tatooine, then the towers of Coruscant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

On board the plane was a cockpit crew of eight people from Airbus's testing division, accompanied by two Qantas pilots.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

And signing Verstappen is a guarantee of the highest possible performance in the cockpit on arguably the most consistent basis.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

When men were assigned to fly her plane, they’d sometimes find a bouquet Lilya had left in the cockpit.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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

In the cockpits, though, they are very different, as a consequence of the biggest regulation change in the sport's history.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

The company is already planning to launch the platform's next generation in 2025, which would include improvements in computing capabilities and smart cockpits, Zhu said.

From Reuters ● Jul. 31, 2023

The aircraft came closer, so that the boys could make out the markings on the wings and the white helmets of the pilots in the cockpits.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Related Words

• cabin
• compartment