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
That’s when a rundown play happened, and both benches emptied.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
What started as a drive to find working-class candidates outside the party’s usual bench is now a potential problem for Democrats everywhere, not least because Platner has no intention of heeding pressure to step aside.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Madina Okot, Isobel Borlase and Sika Kone combined for 29 points off the bench as Atlanta finished with 40 total bench points.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 7 June 2026
In Tennessee, the city of Chattanooga is funding community ideas to increase connection and time in nature, including benches where people can speak with volunteer listeners.
—Aneri Pattani, USA Today, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bench
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
What started as a drive to find working-class candidates outside the party’s usual bench is now a potential problem for Democrats everywhere, not least because Platner has no intention of heeding pressure to step aside.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Madina Okot, Isobel Borlase and Sika Kone combined for 29 points off the bench as Atlanta finished with 40 total bench points.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 7 June 2026
In Tennessee, the city of Chattanooga is funding community ideas to increase connection and time in nature, including benches where people can speak with volunteer listeners.
—Aneri Pattani, USA Today, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bench
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bench
Noun
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Cushing, who was 26 at the time, then turned himself in after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
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The request was granted three months later by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, according to a filing reviewed by USA TODAY.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
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In 2024, a Canadian tribunal held Air Canada liable for misleading information given to a grieving customer by its chatbot, establishing that companies can be liable for what their AI tells the public.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
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Located just 2 miles away from the former insurance building that housed the residual mechanism, the ICC was set up as a permanent, global court to prosecute humanity’s worst crimes and forestall the need to create ad hoc tribunals for every conflict.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Thomas is due back in court on June 11 for a bond re-determination hearing and on June 18 for a probable cause conference.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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This lawsuit, which was filed in February in state court, was a case that began in 2022 when a single athlete came forward with their own federal lawsuit.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bench.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bench. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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