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front bench

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noun British.
  1. (used with a singular verb) (in the House of Commons) either of two seats near the Speaker, on which the leaders of the major parties sit.
  2. (used with a singular or plural verb) the leaders who occupy a front bench.
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Compare back bench.

Origin of front bench

First recorded in 1890–95
Related formsfront bencher, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for front bench

Historical Examples

  • But he did not modify his front-bench attitude; it was only the well-known eyebrows that rose.

    The Crime Doctor

    Ernest William Hornung

British Dictionary definitions for front bench

front bench

noun
  1. British
    1. the foremost bench of either the Government or Opposition in the House of Commons
    2. the leadership (frontbenchers) of either group, who occupy this bench
    3. (as modifier)a front-bench decision
  2. the leadership of the government or opposition in various legislative assemblies
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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