Definition of "bench" []

• A long seat, often without a back, for two or more persons. (noun)
• Nautical A thwart in a boat. (noun)
• Law The seat for judges in a courtroom. (noun)
• Law The office or position of a judge. (noun)
• Law The judge or judges composing a court. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Her demeanor on the bench is an issue that conservatives opposed to her nomination see as a potential vulnerability — and one that Mr. Obama carefully considered before selecting her."
• "That the Canadian Judicial Council has chosen to take such an unprecedented step as to remove him from the bench is a welcome indication that judicial performance matters in this country."
• "Well the whole concept of a judge altering a contract from the bench is absurd."