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

The Angels two-way player, who had not been seen at all during a game in almost two weeks while nursing an oblique injury, was perched on a bench in the home dugout, sitting among the rest of his teammates, smiling, chatting and observing the game. —Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023

After 12 hours of deliberations Thursday and Friday, the jurors filed into the courtroom while another sister, Ashley Hargan, sat on a bench with a victim’s advocate by her side. —Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023

The video ends with Haynes, now an old man, sitting on the same bench holding a four-leaf clover. —Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023

Take a seat inside on a bench, bite into a delicious onion ring (with a side of ranch, of course), and slurp it down with a good old-fashioned milkshake. —Sydni Walker, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023

In a game in which manager Brandon Hyde nearly emptied both his bench and bullpen, starting pitcher Kyle Gibson was one of the few who had no chance of playing Sunday. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 Sep. 2023

The memorial sculpture, called Four Spirits, features bronze statues of four girls and a bronze bench featuring the names and photos of all six Black children killed that day, including Robinson and Ware. —Char Adams, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2023

On This Day When Sept. 8, 2023 Where Farmington, Conn. Backyard Ceremony The couple married in front of a bench to commemorate Ms. Roberts’s mother. —Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023

The furniture can accommodate a wheelchair or scooter, there is extra space between beds, more room in the living area for easy movement, and the bathroom is larger with a roll-in shower, fold-down shower bench, and easy-to-reach shower head and sink faucet. —Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023

Verb

Plenty worry that benching these shows now could do irreparable damage, as still more viewers find new ways to fill their time. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2023

Average Al Verdugo has been benched twice by Cora this year and Tuesday got tossed in Houston for chirping at the home plate umpire from the dugout. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023

Coleman also squats 600 pounds, benches 400 and power-cleans 375. 63. —Michael Haag, Dallas News, 15 Aug. 2023

Ryan Finley played eight games across parts of two seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, and midway through the 2019 season got the nod at home after Andy Dalton was benched earlier in the week. —Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023

However, he was benched in favor of Tua Tagovailoa in the second half of the 2017 national title game, then hung around the following year to be the backup. —Creg Stephenson | [e-mail], al, 6 Sep. 2023

Mookie is in the MVP discussion, while the Sox have Verdugo (benched twice this season) and a serviceable catcher with a career batting average of .234. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023

With Sergio Roberto benched, the 26 clean sheet hero of last season Marc-Andre ter Stegen takes the captain's armband between the sticks. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023

Competing this summer at 181, Anderson benched 330 on the way to finishing second in the USA Powerlifting Nationals, a competition that also includes squats and dead lifts. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023

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

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

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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