cockpit

American  

[kok-pit] / ˈkɒkˌpɪt /

noun

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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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

Maven functions like both the air traffic control of battle and its cockpit.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Investigators on Tuesday released details from the final three minutes of cockpit voice recordings and tower communications, including that controllers had cleared both the plane and a fire truck to cross the runway.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Milton said the new plane will feature a touch screen cockpit interface the company is designing itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The sailor assigned to man the brakes in the cockpit and another who was towing the jet had to jump off at the last second.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

And the fuselage—the cockpit where he and Toby had spent countless afternoons, pretending to fly and then, when they got too old for make-believe, planning to leave—was curled in on itself.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Related Words

• cabin
• compartment