the bench

noun

1

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

The lawyer asked if he could approach the bench.

2

: a long seat where the members of a sports team wait during a game for a chance to play

He spent most of his season on the bench.

He plays better coming off the bench.

Examples of the bench in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Within seconds of Sunday’s opening faceoff, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk closed in on Canada defenseman Colton Parayko, and simultaneously leveled Parayko into the bench-side boards. —Chris Kudialis, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026

Feiman came off the bench to score 12 points, with Sabrina Ma having nine points, six rebounds and four assists before fouling out. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026

Crosby, Canada's captain, remained on the bench for a couple of minutes before heading to the locker room. —Patrick Damp, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

Drake Powell provided one of the early highlights with five quick points off the bench, first burying a smooth step-back 3-pointer from the right wing, then following it with a crafty drive and physical finish moments later. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for the bench

• entrench
• retrench
• workbench
• clench
• drench
• quench
• stench
• tench
• trench
• wench
• wrench