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
The 54-year-old returned to the cockpit for the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway this weekend, but he was forced to shut the car down during Q1 in order to investigate an erratic cylinder.
—
Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
While commercial pilots are allowed to use iPads and electronic tablets in the cockpit to access navigation charts and checklists, the tone of the exchange sparked questions about situational awareness in a restricted airspace.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Chairman Kenn Ricci, who cut his teeth in the cockpit, with many of his hours on Gulfstream jets, recalls a trip from San Francisco to Indonesia last century required three refueling stops.
—Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The automotive-like cockpit of the Seabob has long been one of its cooler features, and this special version leans in an extra-sporty direction with Lamborghini graphics and fonts.
—New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
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Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
While commercial pilots are allowed to use iPads and electronic tablets in the cockpit to access navigation charts and checklists, the tone of the exchange sparked questions about situational awareness in a restricted airspace.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Chairman Kenn Ricci, who cut his teeth in the cockpit, with many of his hours on Gulfstream jets, recalls a trip from San Francisco to Indonesia last century required three refueling stops.
—Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The automotive-like cockpit of the Seabob has long been one of its cooler features, and this special version leans in an extra-sporty direction with Lamborghini graphics and fonts.
—New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cockpit
Cite this Entry
“Cockpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cockpit. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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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