banquette

noun

ban·​quette baŋ-ˈket 

ban-

sense 1b also ˈbaŋ-kət

1

a

: a raised way along the inside of a parapet or trench for gunners or guns

b

Southern US : sidewalk

2

a

: a long upholstered bench

b

: a sofa having one roll-over arm

c

: a built-in usually upholstered bench along a wall

Examples of banquette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a Knicks game lets out at the Garden or concertgoers from the Meadowlands pour out of Penn Station, crowds pack the Tick Tock’s orange-and-green banquettes and the line snakes out the door. —Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

An open kitchen with counter seating looks into a bright dining room with tables and banquettes. —Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026

It’s all served in an industrial space of concrete, steel, and glass near the Opera House, warmed in tone by walnut wood lattices and jade green banquettes. —Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026

Under a playful pendant inherited from the previous owner sits a Four Hands bistro table and a custom velvet-upholstered banquette. —Allison Duncan, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from Old Occitan banqueta, diminutive of banc bench, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc bench

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for banquette

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette
• cadet