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Glite Dictionary
to ride the bench

to ride the bench

2 7.5
To stay on the sidelines and not play in a game
  • idiom
  • Jargon
translation icon : permanecer en la banca
  • Too many players are riding the bench who could be on the practice squad, like Egnew, for example.
  • ride the bench for a season
  • rode the bench for two years

Examples

  • He was not "informed he'd be riding the bench."

    Blog text (6)

  • Many fans were frustrated when their favorite player continued to ride the bench instead of being on the field.

  • But I doubt he signed on to ride the bench in his final years as the third point guard.

    Blog text (28)

  • I rode the bench for two years.

    Rudy (1993)

  • Now I'm riding the bench.

    Haunt (2019)

  • He loved her, but she was back in New York, shacked up with a guy who made millions riding the bench for the Yankees.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Even with these ideologies socialized into athletes, there will still be dissatisfaction by many athletes who "have to ride the bench" instead of getting to play (Wankel and Kreisel, 1985).

    Academic text (1999)

  • After being sidelined for several games, he was disappointed to ride the bench during the championship match.

  • As the star player recovered from his injury, he had to ride the bench while his teammates played.

Synonyms

to bench
vsto ride the bench
  • Informal
31 5.5

To stop a player from playing in a game

describes the condition of being kept sidelined as a substitute rather than playing
to sit out
vsto ride the bench
11 3.3

Not take part in an activity, often because someone is hurt or chooses not to

applies specifically to sports substitution rather than voluntary absence
to ride the pine
vsto ride the bench
  • Slang
2 9.5

Sit on the bench and not play during a sports game

means the same sports idea of staying on the sidelines rather than playing
to warm the bench
vsto ride the bench
  • Informal
1 7.0

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

focuses on the same sports status of staying sidelined instead of participating

Antonyms

to compete
983 2.6

Try to win against others who want the same thing

How Active

starter
140 3.0
regular
194 3.1
substitute
211 3.2
to ride the bench
  • Jargon
2 7.5

Surface Forms

ride the bench infinitive
rode the bench past
riding the bench present participle
rides the bench third person singular
ridden the bench past participle

Morphology

ride + the + bench

The noun 'bench' (the substitutes/on the sidelines) directly signals non-participation and a learner who knows that sense together with 'ride' can infer being kept on the bench. However, 'ride' is used metaphorically here (not literally riding), and the sports-specific idiomatic use is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so full comprehension may require exposure.

Etymology

Ride the bench may come from the image of a player who spends the game sitting on the team's bench, watching others play. To ride the bench means to be kept there instead of joining the game, so it now means 'to stay on the sidelines as a substitute'.