Synonyms of bench

bench

noun

ˈbench 

1

as in judge

a public official having authority to decide questions of law

appealed to the bench for leniency

Synonyms & Similar Words

• judge
• court
• magistrate
• jurist
• justice
• circuit judge
• beak
• chief justice
• adjudicator
• justice of the peace
• auditor
• squire
• master
• jurisconsult
• jurisprudent

2

as in tribunal

an assembly of persons for the administration of justice

a ruling from the bench is expected any day now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tribunal
• court
• judiciary
• court of law
• forum
• bar
• judicature
• criminal court
• judicatory
• high court
• supreme court
• court-martial
• kangaroo court
• inquisition
• drumhead court-martial

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bench

Doug Gibson, the novel’s closest thing to an idealist, is a pugilistic criminal-defense lawyer, the kind with ads on bus-stop benches. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

One of those orange bottles of Banana Boat sunscreen is resting somewhere on a curb or a bench or maybe even taking a swim in the Anacostia River. — Noah White, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2026

No changes to the state supreme court bench are happening in Kansas' future. — Saige Miller, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026

After all, Hassabis isn’t leaving the company, and Google has a deep bench of AI talent. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026