back bench
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of back bench
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
Dalton Rushing was shown on the game broadcast breaking his bat in the dugout and slamming his leg guard on the back bench after striking out in the fourth inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The new line-up has left a Lib Dem back bench comprising 39 MPs - more than twice the size of the party's representation in Parliament before July's general election, when they had 15 MPs.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2024
Chosen last year to lead nearly 100 progressives in the House, Ms. Jayapal has vaulted from the back bench to a position as a highly visible strategist and spokeswoman.
From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2021
Her father and other relatives sat on the back bench of the courtroom, sobs emerging when the bespectacled Yoon appeared behind a glass partition in jail clothes.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 9, 2015
When there were just five of them left on the bus, Nicole finally joined Chase on the back bench.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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.
