I. bench 1 S2 W3 /bentʃ/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: benc ]
1 . OUTDOOR SEAT [countable] a long seat for two or more people, especially outdoors:
We sat on a park bench.
2 . IN A LAW COURT the bench
a) the seat where a judge or ↑ magistrate sits in a court of law:
Would the prisoner please approach the bench?
b) the position of being a judge or ↑ magistrate in a court of law:
He was appointed to the bench last year.
sit/serve on the bench (=work as a judge or ↑ magistrate )
3 . SPORTS the bench the seat where members of a sports team sit when they are not playing in the game:
Batts and Dorigo are on the bench tonight.
Simpson came off the bench to play in midfield.
4 . PARLIAMENT benches [plural] British English the seats in the British parliament where members of a particular party sit:
There was cheering from the Conservative benches.
⇨ ↑ backbench , ↑ backbenches , ↑ front bench
5 . TABLE [countable] a long heavy table used for working on with tools or equipment:
a carpenter’s bench
II. bench 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
American English to not allow a sports player to play in a game, or to remove them from a game:
Anderson has been benched until his injury has healed.