benches

noun

plural of bench
1
as in judges
a public official having authority to decide questions of law appealed to the bench for leniency

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tribunals
an assembly of persons for the administration of justice a ruling from the bench is expected any day now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of benches Poetry on board On a visit to one of the boat schools this summer, 27 students sat on benches and recited Bangla poetry with their teacher. — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026 The Wood Chucks woodworking group has created benches and plant markers for the paths, among other projects. — Erickson Senior Living, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026 Reporters from competing outlets sit shoulder-to-shoulder on a handful of benches while others sit cross-legged on the floor, each of them bracing for the next time they will be allowed back inside. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 He and eleven other jumpers were squeezed together on canvas benches. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Thick brown and gray mud coated the surfaces of school benches, walls and notebooks while the school’s courtyard was filled with sediment. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Rice had a side hustle as a vintage dealer and brought in plenty of pieces from the same era, including 1950s sofas by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, a pair of 1970s blue suede armchairs, and benches from France with colorful bases. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026 For more of the best end-of-season patio furniture deals at Pottery Barn, check out our favorite chairs, benches, sectionals, tables, and more below. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2026 The Chicago Transit Authority now has child-sized benches at 10 different train stations. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benches
  1. judges
  2. tribunals
  3. courts
Noun
  • Usually, that would mean that Naheim, Joseph, and Bryan would all be going home — but the judges decide, in another twist, to bring a fourth designer to the finale.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • There is no way of knowing whether other district court judges will rule, as Valenzuela did, on the question of funding connected to Title IX.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of judges
Noun
  • Based upon their replies, occupying Allied officials ranked their culpability, then tried the worst offenders — most famously in the Nuremberg trials, but also in numerous local tribunals.
    — Fern Schumer Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Lawmakers are prohibited by the state Constitution from being paid representatives for individuals or entities before state agencies other than judicial tribunals.
    — Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
Definition of tribunals
Noun
  • In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In hip-hop and other genres, producers were using snippets of other people’s records; courts often ruled that this was a form of theft, although hip-hop fans tended to see it as righteous theft.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of courts

Browse Nearby Words

bench
benches
benchmark
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Cite this Entry

“Benches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benches. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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