bench

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a long seat for two or more persons
b
: a thwart in a boat
c(1)
: a seat on which the members of an athletic team await a turn or opportunity to play
(2)
: the reserve players on a team
broadly : a reserve force
2
a
: the seat where a judge sits in court
b
: the place where justice is administered : court
c
: the office or dignity of a judge
sat on the bench for 20 years
d
: the persons who sit as judges
3
a
: the office or dignity of an official
b
: a seat for an official
c
: the officials occupying a bench
4
a
: a long worktable
also : laboratory
bench chemist
bench test
b
: a table forming part of a machine
5
: terrace, shelf: such as
a
: a former wave-cut shore of a sea or lake or floodplain of a river
b
: a shelf or ridge formed in working an open excavation on more than one level
6
: a compartmented platform on which dogs or cats are kept at a show when not being judged

bench

2 of 2

verb

benched; benching; benches

transitive verb

1
: to furnish with benches
2
a
: to seat on a bench
b(1)
: to remove from or keep out of a game
broadly : to remove from use or from a position
(2)
: to remove from the starting lineup
3
: to exhibit (dogs or cats) to the public on a bench
4
: to lift (a weight) in a bench press
bench 200 pounds

intransitive verb

: to form a bench by natural processes

Examples of bench in a Sentence

Noun The lawyer asked if he could approach the bench. her recent appointment to the bench Verb The manager benched one of his most popular players.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
And do the Dodgers need another right-handed hitting option on a right-handed heavy bench? Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 Dip the knife or bench scaper in flour before portioning the scones for clean slices. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
The Heat’s 20-year-old rookie center was benched to begin Wednesday’s third quarter after his shaky first half against Zubac. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025 Minshew was benched three times and made nine starts before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone in Week 12. Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bench

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English benc; akin to Old High German bank bench

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bench was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bench.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bench. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bench

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a long seat for two or more persons
b
: a seat where the members of a team wait for a chance to play
2
a
: the seat where a judge sits in a court of law
b
: the position or rank of a judge
appointed to the bench
c
: a person or persons engaged in judging
3
a
: a long table for holding tools and work

bench

2 of 2 verb
1
: to furnish with benches
2
: to seat on a bench
3
: to remove from or keep out of a game

Legal Definition

bench

noun
1
: the place where a judge sits in court
asked counsel to approach the bench
compare bar sense 1a, dock, jury box, sidebar, stand
2
: the court or system of courts serving an area
the federal bench
3
a
: the office of a judge
appointed to the bench
b
: the body of persons who hold positions as judges
members of the bench and bar
compare bar sense 2a
c
: a judge or panel of judges hearing a case
unless the lawyer is responding to a question from the benchR. H. Bork

Biographical Definition

Bench

biographical name

Johnny (Lee) 1947–     American baseball player

More from Merriam-Webster on bench

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