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

There are industry divides over which bill allows more flexibility to comply with new mandates and whether airlines should be required to make potentially costly retrofits of cockpit systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Under this scenario, the cockpit fuel switches were never physically moved.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

Only when the cockpit conversation is matched against the aircraft's final seconds of recorded data may a clearer picture emerge of what brought down the jet.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

Under discussion were 33 safety recommendations Homendy’s agency made for the FAA, including requiring planes to have technology that allows pilots to see other aircraft on cockpit screens.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

As he reached for the eject button, Powers realized that the plane's centrifugal force was pressing the lower half of his body into the cockpit.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• cabin
• compartment