bench

1 of 2

noun

ˈbench 

1

a

: a long seat for two or more persons

b

: a thwart in a boat

c(1)

: a seat on which the members of an athletic team await a turn or opportunity to play

(2)

: the reserve players on a team

broadly : a reserve force

2

a

: the seat where a judge sits in court

b

: the place where justice is administered : court

c

: the office or dignity of a judge

sat on the bench for 20 years

d

: the persons who sit as judges

3

a

: the office or dignity of an official

b

: a seat for an official

c

: the officials occupying a bench

4

a

: a long worktable

also : laboratory

bench chemist

bench test

b

: a table forming part of a machine

5

: terrace, shelf: such as

a

: a former wave-cut shore of a sea or lake or floodplain of a river

b

: a shelf or ridge formed in working an open excavation on more than one level

6

: a compartmented platform on which dogs or cats are kept at a show when not being judged

bench

2 of 2

verb

benched; benching; benches

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with benches

2

a

: to seat on a bench

b(1)

: to remove from or keep out of a game

broadly : to remove from use or from a position

(2)

: to remove from the starting lineup

3

: to exhibit (dogs or cats) to the public on a bench

4

: to lift (a weight) in a bench press

bench 200 pounds

intransitive verb

: to form a bench by natural processes

Synonyms

Noun

• adjudicator
• beak [chiefly British]
• court
• judge
• jurist
• justice
• magistrate

Examples of bench in a Sentence

Noun

The lawyer asked if he could approach the bench.

her recent appointment to the bench

Verb

The manager benched one of his most popular players.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Monk finished second in the NBA this season in points and assists per game among all bench players. —Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024

The Rain Garden has a curving limestone bench for contemplation. —Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2024

Thompson finished fourth in the NBA in 3-point makes and was amenable to the kind of bench role the Warriors will want him in the future. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024

One man had been playing the flute on a bench since early morning. —Simmone Shah, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024

Kawhi Leonard sat on the Clippers bench Sunday once again dressed in a sweatsuit, right next to Paul George, who was next to James Harden, the team’s three stars not playing in the final regular-season game before Los Angeles heads to the playoffs. —Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

The singer lifted weights on a sit-up bench with his spotter, also cooly rocking sunglasses indoors. —Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

Along with the instrument itself, the purchase also comes with a matching duet bench and play-along songbook. —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

For the Biden administration, that portion grew to 100% imposed by judges named to the federal bench by Republican presidents. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024

Verb

Coach Tata Martino benched most of his regular starting lineup for the league game, which is sandwiched between the two legs of the Champions Cup quarterfinal series against Mexican club Monterrey. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024

Rudy Gobert of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves got benched for a technical foul and a $100,000 fine for making a money-counting gesture at a ref after an adverse call, suggesting that the ref was on the take. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Kugel was benched two games by head coach Todd Golden in the SEC’s postseason tournament. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024

At the end of last season, he was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph after recovering from injury. —Ben Morse, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

Late last season, Wilson was benched amid a tough year with the team that many speculated would be his last. —Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024

Ridder, benched twice during the season, ranked sixth in the NFL with 19 turnovers – with none as ugly as a red zone interception in the final minutes at Carolina in Week 15 that set the Panthers (2-15) up for a game-winning field goal. —USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024

As punishment, Cristobal benched both players for the first quarter of the following week’s game against Boston College. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

In 2019, a Beckley, West Virginia, high school basketball coach reportedly benched a Black teen over the length of his dreadlocks. —Char Adams, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English benc; akin to Old High German bank bench

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Phrases Containing bench

• bench jockey
• bench mark
• bench press
• bench seat
• bench warrant
• coming off the bench
• deacon's bench
• front bench
• optical bench
• the bench

Kids Definition

bench

1 of 2 noun

ˈbench 

1

a

: a long seat for two or more persons

b

: a seat where the members of a team wait for a chance to play

2

a

: the seat where a judge sits in a court of law

b

: the position or rank of a judge

appointed to the bench

c

: a person or persons engaged in judging

3

a

: a long table for holding tools and work

b

: shelf sense 2

bench

2 of 2 verb

1

: to furnish with benches

2

: to seat on a bench

3

: to remove from or keep out of a game

Legal Definition

bench

noun

1

: the place where a judge sits in court

asked counsel to approach the bench

compare bar sense 1a, dock, jury box, sidebar, stand

2

: the court or system of courts serving an area

the federal bench

3

a

: the office of a judge

appointed to the bench

b

: the body of persons who hold positions as judges

members of the bench and bar

compare bar sense 2a

c

: a judge or panel of judges hearing a case

unless the lawyer is responding to a question from the bench

—R. H. Bork

Biographical Definition

Bench

biographical name

ˈbench 

Johnny (Lee) 1947–     American baseball player