View synonyms for

on the bench

Presiding as judge in a law court, as in Lawyers are very careful when Judge Brown is on the bench . This usage alludes to the seat occupied by a judge. [Late 1200s]
Waiting for a chance to participate; also, removed from participation. For example, Mary complained that all her colleagues were going to the sales conference while she was left on the bench . This usage comes from baseball and other sports, where players not deemed ready or competent to play sit on a bench watching the game. [Early 1900s]

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported earlier this week that the FBI was looking into whether the jurist, who has served on the bench since 2016, had tried to assist an undocumented immigrant evade an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest.

From

Utility back Helena Rowland, who is named on the bench on Saturday, made one start at fly-half against Italy, while Aitchison was picked to start at 10 in last Saturday's hammering of Scotland.

From

Both of Manchester City's goals against Aston Villa on Tuesday came from their players being prepared to run at defenders - firstly Omar Marmoush and then Jeremy Doku, who had started the game on the bench.

From

Scrum-half Natasha Hunt comes back into the starting XV to partner Harrison, with Lucy Packer named on the bench after impressing from the start in the hammering of Scotland last Saturday.

From

Flanker Abi Burton, who scored two tries on her Red Roses debut against Wales in round two, is named on the bench, meaning there is no place for former captain Marlie Packer or Loughborough Lightning's Sadia Kabeya.

From

Related Words

on the beam on the blink

Browse