Bench

/bɛnt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools.
  • Grammar: bench is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: judiciary, advisory body, agency, ambo.
  • Useful contrasts: chair, chaises, davenport.
  • Usage evidence: I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.

How to use "bench"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bench" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bench" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bench" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bench" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "bench" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "judiciary" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "bench", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools.

    "They sat on a park bench and tossed bread crumbs to the ducks and pigeons."

  2. 2
    The weight one is able to bench press, especially the maximum weight capable of being pressed.

    "He became frustrated when his bench increased by only 10 pounds despite a month of training."

  3. 3
    a long seat for more than one person wordnet
  4. 4
    The seat where the judges sit in court.; The people who decide on the verdict, collectively; the judiciary. figuratively

    "They are awaiting a decision on the motion from the bench."

  5. 5
    (law) the seat for judges in a courtroom wordnet
Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    The seat where the judges sit in court.; The office or dignity of a judge. figuratively

    "She sat on the bench for 30 years before she retired."

  2. 7
    a strong worktable for a carpenter or mechanic wordnet
  3. 8
    A seat where people sit together in an official capacity.; A long seat for politicians in a parliamentary chamber.

    "the government front bench"

  4. 9
    persons who administer justice wordnet
  5. 10
    A seat where people sit together in an official capacity.; The dignity of holding an official seat. figuratively

    "the bench of bishops"

  6. 11
    the reserve players on a team wordnet
  7. 12
    A seat where people sit together in an official capacity.; The people who hold a certain type of official seat, collectively; a group of officeholders. figuratively

    "Mr. Zuckerberg’s repositioning of Meta started in earnest last year, when he began rearranging his bench of lieutenants."

  8. 13
    the magistrate or judge or judges sitting in court in judicial capacity to compose the court collectively wordnet
  9. 14
    The place where players (substitutes) and coaches sit when not playing.

    "He spent the first three games on the bench, watching."

  10. 15
    a level shelf of land interrupting a declivity (with steep slopes above and below) wordnet
  11. 16
    The place where players (substitutes) and coaches sit when not playing.; The number of players on a team able to participate, often expressed in terms of length. figuratively

    "Injuries have shortened the bench."

  12. 17
    A place where assembly or hand work is performed; a workbench.

    "She placed the workpiece on the bench, inspected it closely, and opened the cover."

  13. 18
    A horizontal padded surface, usually adjustable in height and inclination and often with attached weight rack, used for proper posture during exercise.

    "2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii I had no bench or power rack, so by necessity every exercise I did started with the weights on the floor."

  14. 19
    A bracket used to mount land surveying equipment onto a stone or a wall.

    "After removing the bench, we can use the mark left on the wall as a reference point."

  15. 20
    A flat ledge in the slope of an earthwork, work of masonry, or similar.

    "That number carried his glance to the top of this first bulging bench of cliff-base."

  16. 21
    A thin strip of relatively flat land bounded by steeper slopes above and below.
  17. 22
    A kitchen surface on which to prepare food, a counter. Australia, New-Zealand
  18. 23
    A bathroom surface which holds the washbasin, a vanity. Australia, New-Zealand
  19. 24
    A collection or group of dogs exhibited to the public, traditionally on benches or raised platforms.
Verb
  1. 1
    To remove a player from play. transitive

    "They benched him for the rest of the game because they thought he was injured."

  2. 2
    To lift by bench pressing colloquial, intransitive, transitive

    "I heard he can bench 150 pounds."

  3. 3
    Alternative spelling of bentsh. alt-of, alternative
  4. 4
    To exercise using a bench press wordnet
  5. 5
    To remove someone from a position of responsibility temporarily. figuratively, transitive
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    To lift a weight using a bench press wordnet
  2. 7
    To push a person backward against a conspirator behind them who is on their hands and knees, causing them to fall over. slang
  3. 8
    exhibit on a bench wordnet
  4. 9
    To furnish with benches. transitive

    "'Twas benched with turf."

  5. 10
    take out of a game; of players wordnet
  6. 11
    To place on a bench or seat of honour. transitive

    "whom I […] have benched and reared to worship"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A language spoken in Ethiopia uncountable
  2. 2
    A surname.
  3. 3
    The people who speak the Bench language uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
judiciaryadvisory bodyagencyamboassemblyassociation

Example

"I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp."

Common questions

What does "bench" mean?

A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools.

What is a synonym for "bench"?

Common synonyms include: judiciary, advisory body, agency, ambo, assembly, association.

How do you use "bench" in a sentence?

I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.

How do you pronounce "bench"?

Pronounced /bɛnt͡ʃ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English bench, benk, bynk, from Old English benċ (“bench”), from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz (“bench”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-. Cognate with Scots benk, bink (“bench”), West Frisian bank (“bench”), Dutch bank (“bench”), German Bank (“bench”), Danish bænk (“bench”), Swedish bänk (“bench”), Icelandic bekkur (“bench”). Doublet of banc, banco, and bank.

Etymology 2

From bench press by shortening.

Etymology 3

See bentsh.

Etymology 4

From Bench [Term?] (bentʂnon).

Etymology 5

* As an English surname, related to bank (“hill”) and bench * As a German surname, spelling variant of Bensch, Benesch, itself Germanized from Czech Beneš.

More for "bench"

Synonyms

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