benchwarmer

noun

bench·​warm·​er ˈbench-ˌwȯr-mər How to pronounce benchwarmer (audio)
: a reserve player on an athletic team

Examples of benchwarmer in a Sentence

I played a little, but mostly I was a benchwarmer.
Recent Examples on the Web The Dutchman proved his worth to outgoing head coach Xavi Hernandez, and went from being a benchwarmer to an undisputed starter alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri as things currently stand. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 The bad news for Steeler Nation is that, unlike the Ravens in Week 18, the Bills will not be starting 22 benchwarmers. Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2024 But the biggest reason of all is because bowl games are rapidly turning into glorified pre-spring scrimmages where coaches are playing backups and benchwarmers. Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024 The 44th president had spent most of his high school hoops career as a benchwarmer but nevertheless played a pickup game with NBA’s biggest stars for his 50th birthday, including Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Chris Paul. Kara Voght, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 Like an out-of-shape benchwarmer, our intermittent national bicker over the appropriate reasons to award hardware to young athletes has wheezed its way back onto the playing field. Jason Gay, wsj.com, 24 Apr. 2023 Frustrating, no doubt, for someone who’d rather be a starter than a benchwarmer. Dallas News, 16 Dec. 2022 Meet Josiah Johnson, the former UCLA benchwarmer who became an NBA meme king. Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2022 Brooks was a freshman benchwarmer when the Wildcats steamrolled his Wolverines to win the 2018 national championship in this building, and that might as well have been a lifetime ago. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'benchwarmer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of benchwarmer was in 1892

Dictionary Entries Near benchwarmer

Cite this Entry

“Benchwarmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benchwarmer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

benchwarmer

noun
bench·​warm·​er ˈbench-ˌwȯr-mər How to pronounce benchwarmer (audio)
: a reserve player on a sports team
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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