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bench warrant

American

noun

Law.

a warrant issued or ordered by a judge or court for the apprehension of an offender.

bench warrant British

noun

a warrant issued by a judge or court directing that an offender be apprehended

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bench warrant

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was arrested on a bench warrant in the late morning, transferred between jails, then released just six hours later, Page Six reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

The following month, R.C. was driving in Lakewood with a woman he was seeing when a sheriff’s deputy pulled him over to arrest him on a bench warrant.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

Stefanie Lambert turned herself in Thursday morning after having been arrested in Washington, D.C. earlier this week as a result of a bench warrant issued by a Michigan judge.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2024

He absconded, a bench warrant was issued, and he disappeared to Scotland.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2024

Judge Taylor caught her at it one day and threatened her with a bench warrant.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023