1
a
: a pit or enclosure for cockfights
b
: a place noted for especially bloody, violent, or long-continued conflict
2
obsolete
: the pit of a theater
3
: a compartment in a sailing warship used as quarters for junior officers and for treatment of the wounded in an engagement
4
: a space or compartment in a usually small vehicle (such as a boat, airplane, or automobile) from which it is steered, piloted, or driven see airplane illustration
Examples of cockpit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back in the ‘80s, Breitling’s then-owner Ernest Schneider teamed up with the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force squad who execute precise, choreographed routines in the sky, to create a timepiece that could perform in the cockpit and look good back down on earth, too.
—
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 19 May 2026
Papa Bob hopped into a training cockpit at the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 17 May 2026
On Tuesday, China’s Unitree Robotics unveiled a nearly 9-foot-tall humanoid robot with a cockpit capable of carrying a human inside — a real-world nod to the mecha machines that many sci-fi fans have long dreamed of, or feared.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Last year, the NTSB urged Boeing and engine maker CFM to quickly develop a software fix for the engines on the 737 Max to help prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
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Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 19 May 2026
Papa Bob hopped into a training cockpit at the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 17 May 2026
On Tuesday, China’s Unitree Robotics unveiled a nearly 9-foot-tall humanoid robot with a cockpit capable of carrying a human inside — a real-world nod to the mecha machines that many sci-fi fans have long dreamed of, or feared.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Last year, the NTSB urged Boeing and engine maker CFM to quickly develop a software fix for the engines on the 737 Max to help prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
Cite this Entry
“Cockpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockpit. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cockpit
noun
cock·pit
ˈkäk-ˌpit 
: a space or compartment in a usually small vehicle (as a boat, airplane, or automobile) from which it is steered, piloted, or driven
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