bench warrant

noun

: a warrant issued by a presiding judge or by a court against a person guilty of contempt or indicted for a crime

Examples of bench warrant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Authorities refused, citing prior bench warrants, failures to appear in court and violations of the department’s monitoring program, according to the outlet. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 16 Mar. 2026 Notably, however, no prosecutor had yet asked the court to issue bench warrants for their arrest—until now, less than one week after a man had shot them. Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026 Then allow the state’s attorney to file suit in federal court, and to expeditiously seek a bench warrant to preserve evidence. Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026 Police said at the time he was wanted on a parole violation, as well as a bench warrant stemming from an old theft charge. Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bench warrant

Word History

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bench warrant was in 1680

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Cite this Entry

“Bench warrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bench%20warrant. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Legal Definition

bench warrant

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