front bench
noun British.
(used with a singular verb)
(in the House of Commons) either of two seats near the Speaker, on which the leaders of the major parties sit.
(used with a singular or plural verb)
the leaders who occupy a front bench.
Compare
back bench.
Origin of front bench
First recorded in 1890–95
OTHER WORDS FROM front bench
front bencher, nounWords nearby front bench
frondizi,
frondose,
frons,
front,
front and center,
front bench,
front bottom,
front burner,
front burner, on a,
front court,
front dive
Example sentences from the Web for front bench
But he did not modify his front-bench attitude; it was only the well-known eyebrows that rose.
The Crime Doctor |Ernest William Hornung
British Dictionary definitions for front bench
front bench
noun
British
- the foremost bench of either the Government or Opposition in the House of Commons
- the leadership (frontbenchers) of either group, who occupy this bench
- (as modifier)a front-bench decision
the leadership of the government or opposition in various legislative assemblies