a long seat for several persons: a bench in the park.
a seat occupied by an official, especially a judge.
such a seat as a symbol of the office and dignity of an individual judge or the judiciary.
the office or dignity of various other officials, or the officials themselves.
Sports.
the seat on which the players of a team sit during a game while not playing.
the quality and number of the players of a team who are usually used as substitutes: A weak bench hurt their chances for the championship.
Informal. bench press.
Also called workbench. the strong worktable of a carpenter or other mechanic.
a platform on which animals are placed for exhibition, especially at a dog show.
a contest or exhibition of dogs; dog show.
Physical Geography. a shelflike area of rock with steep slopes above and below.
Mining. a step or working elevation in a mine.
berm (def. 2).
verb (used with object)
to furnish with benches.
to seat on a bench or on the bench: an election that benched him in the district court.
to place (a show dog or other animal) in exhibition.
to cut away the working faces of (a mine or quarry) in benches.
Sports. to remove from a game or keep from participating in a game: to be benched because of poor hitting.
Idioms for bench
on the bench,
serving as a judge in a court of law; presiding.
Sports.(of a player) not participating in play, either for part or all of a game.
Origin of bench
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English benc; cognate with Old Frisian benk, Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German bank, Old Norse bekkr, from unattested Germanic bank-i-; see bank1
OTHER WORDS FROM bench
benchless,adjectiveun·bench,verb (used with object)
He has named scores of judges hostile to LGBTQ equality to the federal bench, jeopardizing our community’s gains for years to come.
Vote for Biden (duh)|Kevin Naff|September 10, 2020|Washington Blade
Meanwhile the Toronto Raptors never faced much in the way of a threat from the Brooklyn Nets, but they put on an impressive first-round performance all the same — especially their bench shooting 100 in Game 4.
The Celtics Had No Patience For ‘The Process’|Sarah Shachat|August 25, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The clear baseline has been much-discussed as one of the benefits of bubble play, but I also like the fact that benches are farther away from the sideline.
Why Have NBA Offenses Been So Good In The Bubble?|Mike Prada|August 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
We don’t get opposing benches essentially hovering over corner shooters.
Why Have NBA Offenses Been So Good In The Bubble?|Mike Prada|August 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Nurse and company remained unsurprisingly willing to vary their level of aggression within and outside of their base schemes from night to night, against every type of action and overall, with the starters and with the bench.
The Raptors’ Defense Is Almost Never The Same, But It’s Always Really Good|Jared Dubin|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
At night jineteras stalk the promenade in search of tourists while a trumpet from a bench serenades the proceedings.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then you have to get judges onto the bench who agree with you.
A Reminder: Our Justices are Politicians in Robes|Jedediah Purdy|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But watching this from what I call my “bench on the beach” in Delaware I had been watching [Ebola coverage] all summer.
Meet America’s New Top Ebola Fighter|Abby Haglage|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Through most of that session he was lying on a bench, his hands and feet bound with tape.
A Torture Survivor on Ukraine's Tortured Ceasefire|Anna Nemtsova|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He tried to make a comeback with the Eagles during the 1946 season, but he weighed 225 and was soon riding the bench.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life|Paul Hemphill|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But who could help it, when there were an hundred judges on the bench?
The Jest Book|Mark Lemon
Sits on the bench, I believe; rides a horse in the Yeomanry; very good-looking, quite intelligent.
Yonder|Emily Hilda Young
He led her to a bench in the middle of the walk that runs about the basin.
Pierre and Luce|Romain Rolland
Then he came out on the platform, and sank down on a bench, with his grip at his feet.
First at the North Pole|Edward Stratemeyer
When I returned I perceived that my paraphernalia had been relegated to the bench behind, and the place taken by Operoff himself.
Youth|Leo Tolstoy
British Dictionary definitions for bench
bench
/ (bɛntʃ) /
noun
a long seat for more than one person, usually lacking a back or arms
a plain stout worktable
the bench(sometimes capital)
a judge or magistrate sitting in court in a judicial capacity
judges or magistrates collectively
sportthe seat on which reserve players and officials sit during a game
geologya flat narrow platform of land, esp one marking a former shoreline
a ledge in a mine or quarry from which work is carried out
(in a gymnasium) a low table, which may be inclined, used for various exercises
a platform on which dogs or other domestic animals are exhibited at shows
NZa hollow on a hillside formed by sheep
verb(tr)
to provide with benches
to exhibit (a dog, etc) at a show
NZto form (a track) up a hill by excavating a flattened area
US and Canadiansportto take or keep (a player) out of a game, often for disciplinary reasons
Word Origin for bench
Old English benc; related to Old Norse bekkr, Old High German bank, Danish, Swedish bänk; see bank ³