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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.

See Examples For:

bench warrant

That led to a no-bond bench warrant, allowing law enforcement to arrest him.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

The force said a bench warrant had been issued for the arrests of Imtiaz Ahmed and Fayaz Ahmed.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 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

Rodriguez has had encounters with law enforcement in Placer County before and had an outstanding bench warrant at the time of the crash, according to CBS-affiliate KOVR.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 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