bench  (b ĕnch)
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n.1. A long seat, often without a back, for two or more persons. 2. Nautical A thwart in a boat. 3. Law a. The seat for judges in a courtroom. b. The office or position of a judge. c. often Bench The judge or judges composing a court. 4. a. A seat occupied by a person in an official capacity. b. The office of such a person. 5. A strong worktable, such as one used in carpentry or in a laboratory. 6. A platform on which animals, especially dogs, are exhibited. 7. Sports a. The area, often equipped with benches, where the coaches and the players who are not actively participating in the game remain. b. The reserve players on a team. 8. a. A level, narrow stretch of land interrupting a declivity. b. A level elevation of land along a shore or coast, especially one marking a former shoreline. tr.v. benched, bench·ing, bench·es 1. To furnish with benches. 2. To seat on a bench. 3. To show (dogs) in a bench show. 4. Sports To keep out of or remove from a game: benched the goalie for fighting. 5. Sports To bench-press.
[Middle English, from Old English benc.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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