1
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law
appealed to the bench for leniency
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2
as in tribunal
an assembly of persons for the administration of justice
a ruling from the bench is expected any day now
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bench
Boston could then roll with an outfield alignment of Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, and with Yoshida no longer taking up a bench spot the club could either call up or acquire a right-handed hitting bench outfielder, which the Red Sox currently lack.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Further, Jaquez this season scored the second-most bench points during a single season in Heat history, becoming just the fourth player to score at least 1,000 off the bench, joining Herro, Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Clarkson and Miles McBride were part of a bench unit helping the Knicks pull away from the Hawks in Game 1.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Quenneville and incumbent eye in the sky Tim Army were joined by former Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft, who led the Oilers on two playoff runs, as well as PK guru Ryan McGill and Andrew Brewer.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bench
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Further, Jaquez this season scored the second-most bench points during a single season in Heat history, becoming just the fourth player to score at least 1,000 off the bench, joining Herro, Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Clarkson and Miles McBride were part of a bench unit helping the Knicks pull away from the Hawks in Game 1.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Quenneville and incumbent eye in the sky Tim Army were joined by former Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft, who led the Oilers on two playoff runs, as well as PK guru Ryan McGill and Andrew Brewer.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bench
Noun
-
The pretrial testimony came as Robinson’s attorneys pressed a Utah judge to ban cameras from his case.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The judge was furious, setting Baldwin free.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2021, Peru’s electoral tribunal proclaimed first-round results 37 days after the April 11 vote.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
On Christmas Day, a military tribunal sentenced him to death and executed him by firing squad.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bambaataa denied all the allegations but lost the civil case after refusing to appear in court.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The deal requires bankruptcy court approval, which could come as early as Thursday, according to court files.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bench. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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