court bench

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The raised seat or desk in a courtroom where the judge or judges sit.

   Grammar: A countable noun: the court bench was polished; two court benches.

   Patterns

   • sit on the court bench
   • approach the court bench

   The lawyer walked up to the court bench to hand a document to the clerk.

   The judge settled behind the court bench and called for order.

   A large wooden crest hung above the court bench.

2. 2nounsingularformal

   The judges of a court considered as a group, or the position of being a judge.

   Grammar: Often used with the: the court bench ruled; a seat on the court bench.

   Patterns

   • appointed to the court bench
   • the court bench ruled that

   She was appointed to the court bench after twenty years as a barrister.

   The court bench was divided on the question of costs.

   Few women sat on the court bench at that time.

Word forms

Common combinations

approach the court bench

Counsel asked permission to approach the court bench.

seat on the court bench

He earned a seat on the court bench at forty-five.

address the court bench

Witnesses must address the court bench politely.

elevated court bench

The elevated court bench gave the judge a clear view of the room.

Synonyms and how they differ

bench

Bench is the shorter and more common term, used on its own for both the seat and the judges.

judge's seat

Judge's seat names only the physical chair and never the group of judges.

judiciary

Judiciary means the whole system of judges in a country, which is far wider than one court's bench.

Word family

bench noun

the judges' seat or the judges themselves

courtroom noun

the room where a trial takes place

benchmark noun

a standard for comparison, from a surveyor's mark on a bench

Commonly confused: court bench or bar?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “court bench”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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