bench

[ bench ]

/ bɛntʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bench ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.
thequality 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

before 1000; Middle English, Old English benc; cognate with Old Frisian benk, Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German bank, Old Norse bekkr < Germanic *bank-i-; see bank¹

OTHER WORDS FROM bench

bench·less, adjective un·bench, verb (used with object)

Words nearby bench

benbow, benbrook, bence-jones protein, bence-jones proteinuria, bence-jones reaction, bench, bench check, bench dog, bench hook, bench jockey, bench press

Definition for bench (2 of 2)

Bench

[ bench ]

/ bɛntʃ /

noun

Johnny,born 1947, U.S. baseball player.

Example sentences from the Web for bench

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

sport the seat on which reserve players and officials sit during a game

geology a 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

NZ a hollow on a hillside formed by sheep

verb (tr)

to provide with benches

to exhibit (a dog, etc) at a show

NZ to form (a track) up a hill by excavating a flattened area

US and Canadian sport to 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

Idioms and Phrases with bench

bench

see on the bench; warm the bench.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bench

noun

verb (used with object)

Idioms for bench

Origin of bench

OTHER WORDS FROM bench

Words nearby bench

Definition for bench (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for bench

British Dictionary definitions for bench

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for bench

Idioms and Phrases with bench

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bench

noun

verb (used with object)

Idioms for bench

Origin of bench

OTHER WORDS FROM bench

Words nearby bench

Definition for bench (2 of 2)

noun

Words related to bench

Example sentences from the Web for bench

British Dictionary definitions for bench

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for bench

Idioms and Phrases with bench