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]
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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.
Judge James Bianco, a former mental health court judge now on the bench in ODR court, has advocated for expansion of the program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Sometimes therapists and family members join the party, and Kaye leads the festivities, waving a diploma up on the bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
This is before we even get to Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki, who were on the bench when Morocco were beaten in the quarter-final.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
What the Americans learned instead was that they could still be stopped in their tracks by a middling European side with its stars on the bench.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
I settle back on the bench to wait for Mom.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
