Definition of "backbench"

relating to the back benches in parliament  examples

Pertaining to the preparation of a donor organ prior to transplantation.  quotations  examples

Secondary or inactive.  quotations  examples

A bench at the back of a room or seating area.  quotations

1. (politics, UK, New Zealand, often attributive) In a house of legislature following the model of the Westminster system (such as the UK House of Commons), any bench behind either of the front benches and occupied by rank-and-file members.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • There was no separate back-bench organization ; indeed there were no back-bench caucuses in any Nigerian Legislative House, and any attempt to create one would probably have been regarded by the leadership concerned as a subversive move.

     1963, Richard L. Sklar, Nigerian Political Parties: Power in an Emergent African Nation, published 2004, page 400

   • Both Thatcher's and Major's PPSs developed the role of trying to see that those members considered loyal to the leadership won the main positions on backbench party committees.

     1995, R. L. Borthwick, Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership Since 1945‎, page 153

   • In fall 1984, Brian Mulroney led a cabinet with far more political experience than the Conservative backbench.

     1997, David Campbell Docherty, Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa: Life in the House of Commons

   • In situations of low ministerial turnover and increased professionalisation of politics, with most TDs regarding politics as a career, Taoisigh could find that impatience on the backbenches leads to calls for leadership turnover to effect promotions.

     2009, John Coakley, Michael Gallagher, Politics in the Republic of Ireland, page 301

2. The back row of a classroom.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • The petitioner who was a student of Class X was in the backbench when a lady teacher was teaching there.

     1981, Arun Bhattacharjee, Misconduct of Students: A Legal and Disciplinary Study, page 82

   • For students who are seriously interested in studies, the front row gives them good proximity to the teacher, while for the students who want to avoid studying, the backbenches are good.

     2006, Harsh V. Verma, Brand Management: Text and Cases, page 126

   • She slipped into a seat in the backbench and pulled out her casebook, notebook and Crim Law outline.

     2014, Fnu Lnu, Crimson Blood, page 279

   • After lunch, I joined my group at the backbench for the next class.

     2015, Kumar Ravi, The Backbench Masti-keers, page 2015

3. The back pew of a church.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • Through this two-year, transcontinental colloquy, through this vast outpouring of personal sentiments and reactions from poor homes and rich, from backwoods cabins and metropolitan penthouses, from the young and old, from dubious backbench sitters and busy pillars of the congregations, from the bitter and the satisfied, each person telling it as he or she saw it.

     1972, Douglas W. Johnson, George W. Cornell, Punctured Preconceptions: what North American Christians Think about the Church

   • We settled Gord with Thea, Jim and Jane in the backbench of church, then joined him there.

     2005, Elaine Bonzelaar, Those First Two Years, page 209

   • As a result of privatization, many are eager to do what a Norwegian rock-star-pastor recommends — namely to occupy the backbench of the church.

     2009, Ola Tjrhom, Embodied Faith: Reflections on a Materialist Spirituality, page 77

4. A back bench in a courtroom.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • Seated on the backbench of the courtroom, Emerald had mixed feelings.

     2001, Pearl Ayi-Bonte, Almost Like Love: The Love that Never was, page 17

   • When they entered the courtroom Lawna noticed her father sitting lonely in the backbench.

     2009, Ian J. Findlay, Saunie Brown, Women: the New Doggs, page 38

   • “This is way worse than we thought,” I whispered to Benjamin as we sat on a back bench in the diminutive courtroom.

     2010, Jeff Deck, Benjamin D. Herson, The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time

   • Shekha, Sir Kakkar and Yavi were sitting on the front bench. Himani and Kjinlay were sitting on the backbench; all of them were concentrating on the proceedings of the court

     2019, Abhishek Verma, Untruth, Untruth

5. The back seat of an automobile, van, or bus.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • They scooted into a double seat near the rear and noticed that even with four people squeezed into the backbench, they had been lucky to find the last empty places.

     2003, Virginia Kreimeyer, Sins of the Fathers, page 15

   • Chet and Wende looked helplessly at each other on the backbench of the Ford van.

     2003, Coby Derek James, Mugged in Marseilles, page 5

   • Lightning outlines Woo Doggy's silhouette outside the backbench door. Kris stretches over to unlock it.

     2009, John Burbridge, The Blockade, page 106

A position of secondary importance.  quotations  examples

(newspaper, publishing) A group of top-level journalists who jointly review submissions and decide on the layout and emphasis of the newspaper.  quotations  examples