noun
    
    plural benches
    
    [count] :a long and usually hard seat for two or more people
    
    
    
    the bench law
    
    the place where a judge sits in a court of law
    
    
    
    the position or rank of a judge
    
    
    
    [count] :a long table for holding tools and work
    
    
    
    sports
    
    a the bench :a long seat where the members of a sports team wait for a chance to play
    
    
    
    
    
    [count] chiefly US :the players on a team who do not usually play at the start of a game :the reserve players on a team - usually singular
    
    
    
    
    
    verb
    
    benches; benched; benching
    
    [+ obj] US sports :to not allow (a player) to play in a game :to put (a player) on the bench