cross-bench

/ˈkɹɒsbɛnt͡ʃ/

noun

A bench placed perpendicular to others, especially certain such benches in the House of Lords on which independent or neutral members traditionally sit.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncross-bench (plural cross-benches)

plural cross-benches · alternative crossbench

  1. UKgovernmentA bench placed perpendicular to others, especially certain such benches in the House of Lords on which independent or neutral members traditionally sit.
adjectivecross-bench (comparative more cross-bench, superlative most cross-bench)

comparative more cross-bench · superlative most cross-bench · alternative crossbench

  1. UKgovernmentOf or pertaining to the cross-benches in the UK houses of parliament.

Origin

From cross- + bench.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Irish binse trasna
  • binse trasnaa bench placed perpendicular to others
Cite this entry
APA

cross-bench. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-bench

MLA

“cross-bench.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-bench. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cross-bench,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-bench.

Source: cross-bench on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.