1. In Commercial Aircraft
Generally found towards the nose or front of the fuselage, the compartment containing instrumentation and controls from which the pilot flies the aircraft. In most commercial aircraft, a door separates the cockpit from the passenger compartment(s). After the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, measures have been taken by most carriers to fortify the cockpit against unauthorized access by would be hijackers.
Sometimes the term is used informally to refer to the driver's seat of a car, especially a high performance one.
2. Can also refer to a pit used for cock-fighting, where owners pit fighting roosters against each other for gambling purposes. In 1759, the English artist William Hogarth produced a satirical print called The Cockpit showing the enthusiasm of the gamblers during a cockfight.