Daily updated English vocabulary with pictures. Bench: outdoor seat. 2011-12-05.

Bench

outdoor seat
 [countable] a long seat for two or more people, especially outdoors:
We sat on a park bench.
2
in a law court
 the bench
a) the seat where a judge or magistrate sits in a court of law:
Would the prisoner please approach the bench?
b) the position of being a judge or magistrate in a court of law:
He was appointed to the bench last year.
sit/serve on the bench (=work as a judge or magistrate)
3
sports
 the bench
the seat where members of a sports team sit when they are not playing in the game:
Batts and Dorigo are on the bench tonight.
Simpson came off the bench to play in midfield.
4
parliament
 benches
 [plural] British English the seats in the British parliament where members of a particular party sit:
There was cheering from the Conservative benches.
➔ backbench, backbenches, front bench
5
table
 [countable] a long heavy table used for working on with tools or equipment:
a carpenter's bench
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary