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

Brown has been rolling with his two best players, Brunson and Towns, on the bench for a few games now, dating back into the regular season. —Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026

Lenyn Sosa put Toronto ahead with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Nathan Lukes knocked in two late insurance runs after coming off the bench. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026

Up 14, both stars went to the bench. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026

Acquired from Chicago the day before the trade deadline, White was a key piece off the bench for the Hornets in his 21 appearances and hit the game-tying bucket to send the Hornets’ eventual win over the Miami Heat in the opening round of the play-in tournament. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for the bench

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