🪑 A long seat 🏀 Reserve players ⚖️ Judges in court 🔧 A worktable 🚫 To remove from game 🏋️ To lift weights ⛰️ A flat area 🐕 To show an animal 🗂️ To set aside

bench

210 1.0

A long hard seat for several people, often made of wood

noun
/bɛnʧ/

: banco

We sit on this bench at Macaroni Grill.
sit on a bench
a park bench
a wooden bench

This is Ryan sitting on a bench under some nice trees in San Diego.

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Examples

In the park, families enjoy picnics while sitting on the bench under the shade of the trees.
As Zack sat on the bench with his teammates, he looked normal.

Academic text (2011)
And we'll have a nice bench along here built in.
Maybe put a bench behind this thing, huh?
Well, this town will certainly name a park bench after them.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024)
Go back to that bench that you sat on with your mom.
In the park on a bench in front of those guys playing drums.

The Night Listener (2006)
This is Ryan sitting on a bench under some nice trees in San Diego.

Theo Von
The path ended in a paved area, with a row of benches along one side.

Fiction book (1990)
And all through the downtown strip, they have these fun benches that are all painted differently.

Synonyms

seat

vsbench

∞ 1.0

The part of a chair or bench that you sit on

is longer and made for several people rather than a single sitting part

banca

vsbench

8.9

A long seat for several people, often made of wood, used outdoors

is more general and used both indoors and outdoors

Idioms

to ride the bench

Jargon

2 7.5

To stay on the sidelines and not play in a game

to warm the bench

Informal

1 7.0

A player who sits on the side and does not play in games

Compounds

park bench

20 1.0

A long seat with a back in a park for people to sit

bench warrant

Formal

4 8.1

An order from a judge that allows police to arrest someone and bring them to court

bench press

4 3.0

An exercise where a person lies on their back on a bench and pushes weight up from the chest

lab bench

Specialized

2 2.8

A long sturdy table in a lab used for experiments

bench warmer

Informal

1 6.7

A player on a sports team who rarely plays

flat bench

1 3.1

A strong, flat surface you lie on to lift weights

front bench

Jargon

1 6.5

Seats in parliament for government ministers or top opposition members

bench clamp

5.3

A tool that holds a piece on a workbench firmly while you cut or drill

bench hook

8.8

A wooden block attached to a bench that holds wood steady while you cut or shape it

bench jockey

Informal

9.3

A person who supports and cheers for the team from the sideline

bench lathe

Specialized

8.0

A small machine fixed to a workbench that turns metal or wood for careful shaping

bench mark

6.4

A metal or stone mark in the ground that shows a known height to measure land

bench press

Specialized

5.6

A small press fixed to a workbench for punching or shaping metal

bench vise

Specialized

6.5

A tool fixed to a workbench with two parts that press to hold things while you work

bench-warmer

Informal

5.8

A player who rarely plays and stays on the bench during games

church bench

1.4

A long wooden seat with a back for people to sit in a church

laboratory bench

Specialized

3.7

A strong table in a lab where people do experiments

incline bench press

Specialized

5.5

An exercise pressing a barbell or dumbbells up on a sloping bench to work the upper chest

optical bench

Specialized

7.5

A long fixed bar that holds lenses and mirrors for experiments

woodworking bench

Specialized

3.7

A strong table that holds wood while you cut or shape it

How Comfortable

sofa

257 1.0

armchair

42 1.0

chair

∞ 1.0

bench

210 1.0

stool

95 1.0

Surface Forms

bench singular

benches plural

Etymology

Bench comes from an old Germanic word benc that meant a long 'plank' or board to sit on, so it originally named a simple long seat. That's why a bench today is a long seat for several people.