bench

noun

• 1a long seat for several people, typically made of wood or stone: a park bench

• 2a long work table in a workshop or laboratory: a 19th-century wheelwright’s bench

• 3a judge’s seat in a law court.
• (the bench) the office of judge or magistrate:his appointment to the civil bench
• a judge or magistrate presiding over a particular case.

• 4British a long seat in Parliament for politicians of a specified party:the Conservative benches
• the politicians occupying a specified bench in Parliament:the pledge that was given by the Opposition benches yesterday

• 5 (the bench) a seat at the side of a sports field for coaches, substitutes, and players not taking part in a game: he must settle for a place on the substitute’s bench

• 6a flat ledge in masonry or on sloping ground.

verb

• 1exhibit (a dog) at a show:Affenpinschers and Afghans were benched side by side

  [from the practice of exhibiting dogs on benches]

• 2North American withdraw (a sports player) from play:the coach benched quarterback Cunningham in favour of McMahon

• 3short for bench-press.he benched almost 500 pounds