on the bench
Idioms-
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]
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.
The couple posed for pictures on the bench from where Princess Diana was photographed alone in an iconic 1992 shot.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
Yet there was hardly astonishment from those at Liverpool when Salah had his outburst at Leeds in December, when a place on the bench for a third successive game hurt him.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
With Wembanyama on the court, the Thunder made just 36.9% of their shots—a nearly 22-point drop-off from when he sat on the bench.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
And I wonder what your colleagues on the bench make of all this.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
When he noticed my approach, he locked his phone and put it on the bench beside him.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
