🪑 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

117 3.6

Players not playing who wait to be used as substitutes

noun
/bɛnʧ/

: banquillo

But please, coach, take me off the bench and put me in the game!
sit on the bench

Put Ronaldo on the bench, but play Pitzi.

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Examples

I didn't even make the bench.

Goal! (2005)
We could hear the other team on their bench, laughing and yelling at each other.

Fiction book (2001)
You were always on the bench.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
It's time to get off the bench.

Double Team (1997)
So could you tell us which times this week that he will be on the bench?

Let's Go to Prison (2006)
Baseball season, and the three of them were on the bench together.

Fiction book (1998)
Then I'm back on the bench.

Any Given Sunday (1999)
Head and assistant coaches mandate who will play and who will sit on the bench on any given day.

Academic text (2001)
As the coach blew her whistle, Shannon sprang off the bench, ready for action.

Fiction book (1998)
Several players are ready on the bench to substitute in when needed during the game.

Synonyms

reserve

vsbench

112 3.7

A player who is not a regular starter but can play if needed

is the whole group of nonplaying team members rather than a single person

second string

vsbench

2 4.7

A group of players who replace the usual starters during a game

is about current nonplaying status rather than acting to replace starters

Antonyms

starter

140 3.0

A player who begins the game on the field or court

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 Senior

first team

27 3.3

to squad

1 5.8

second string

2 4.7

bench

117 3.6

Surface Forms

bench singular

benches plural

Etymology

Bench for reserve players comes from the seat or area where substitutes sit during a game. So the players 'on the bench' are the team members waiting to play.