Bench is a long seat designed for multiple people to sit on together. You might sit on a bench at a park, on the sidelines of a soccer field, or at a piano while practicing scales. Unlike chairs, which are made for one person, benches invite people to share the space.

The word also means to remove a player from active play in a game. When a coach benches a basketball player, she takes them out of the game and has them sit on the bench with their teammates. A player might be benched because they need rest, because the coach wants to try a different strategy, or as a consequence for poor behavior or effort.

In weightlifting, to bench means to lie on your back and push a weighted barbell up from your chest. People often ask each other, “How much can you bench?” to compare strength.

In law, the bench refers to where a judge sits, and by extension, to judges themselves. When someone is appointed to the bench, they become a judge. A bench trial means a judge decides the verdict instead of a jury.