cockpit

[kok-pit]

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.

cockpit

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cockpit¹

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

Example Sentences

These toxic chemicals are present in today’s modern synthetic jet engine oils and are passing into the aircraft cabin/cockpit unfiltered, affecting the air that crew and passengers breathe in.

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“Their right wing clipped our nose and the cockpit,” a pilot from flight 5047, the Charlotte flight, said in an ATC audio recording.

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Temperatures in the cockpit of an F1 car can be more than 40C, and drivers are wearing several layers of fireproof clothing in addition to a balaclava and helmet, so overheating is a serious concern.

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Inside the MiG‑21 cockpit, pilots say, there was little comfort - just a single seat and the sky pressing in all around.

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The report also said that one of the pilots is heard asking the other "why did he cut off" in a cockpit voice recording, with another pilot responding that he did not do so.

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Related Words

• cabin 
• compartment