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Meaning of "backbenches" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF BACKBENCHES

backbenches  [ˌbækˈbɛntʃɪz] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BACKBENCHES

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Backbenches is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES BACKBENCHES MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Backbencher

In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead a member of the "rank and file". The term dates from 1855. A backbencher may be a new parliamentary member yet to receive high office, a senior figure dropped from government or someone who for whatever reason is not chosen to sit either in the ministry or the opposition Shadow Ministry. By extension, a backbencher is not a reliable supporter of all of their party's goals and policies. In most parliamentary systems, backbenchers individually do not have much power to influence government policy. However, they may play a role in providing services to their constituents and in relaying the opinions of their constituents. Some backbenchers also sit on parliamentary committees, where legislation is considered in more detail than there is time for on the floor of the House and, thereby, provide valuable input into the legislative process.

Definition of backbenches in the English dictionary

The definition of backbenches in the dictionary is the backbenches seats in the British and some other Parliaments where MPs who are not office-holders in the governing or opposition parties sit. Other definition of backbenches is the backbenches the MPs collectively who are not office-holders and therefore sit on the backbenches.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH BACKBENCHES


Arches
ˈɑːtʃɪz
bear´s-breeches
ˌbeəzˈbriːtʃɪz
breeches
ˈbrɪtʃɪz
britches
ˈbrɪtʃɪz
bunches
ˈbʌntʃɪz
chiz
tʃɪz
conchies
ˈkɒntʃɪz
cross-benches
ˈkrɒsˌbentʃɪz
duchies
ˈdʌtʃɪz
laches
ˈlætʃɪz
Marches
ˈmɑːtʃɪz
munchies
ˈmʌntʃɪz
reaches
ˈriːtʃɪz
riches
ˈrɪtʃɪz
scratches
ˈskrætʃɪz
trenches
ˈtrɛntʃɪz

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE BACKBENCHES

backband
backbeat
backbench
backbencher
backbend
backbit
backbite
backbiter
backbiting
backbitten
backblock
backblocker
backblocks
backboard
backbond
backbone
backboneless
backbreaker
backbreaking
backburn

WORDS THAT END LIKE BACKBENCHES

batten down the hatches
cartes blanches
clutches
column inches
Court of Arches
Darwin´s finches
Dutchman´s-breeches
from rags to riches
front benches
in stitches
knee breeches
nouveaux riches
Opposition benches
pull one´s punches
riding breeches
sons of bitches
the Marches
too big for one´s breeches
under hatches
World Council of Churches

Synonyms and antonyms of backbenches in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «backbenches» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF BACKBENCHES

Find out the translation of backbenches to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of backbenches from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «backbenches» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

后座议员
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

backbenches
570 millions of speakers

English

backbenches
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

backbenches
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

المقاعد الخلفية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

backbenches
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

backbenches
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

backbenches
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

arrière-ban
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Backbenches
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Hinterbänken
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

backbenches
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

backbenches
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Backbenches
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

backbenches
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

backbenches
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

बॅकबेंचेस
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

backbenches
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

backbenches
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

backbenches
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

backbenches
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

backbenches
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

backbenches
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

backbenches
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

bakre bänk
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

backbenches
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of backbenches

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «BACKBENCHES»

The term «backbenches» is normally little used and occupies the 146.448 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Little used
32
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «backbenches» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of backbenches
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «backbenches».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BACKBENCHES» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «backbenches» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «backbenches» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about backbenches

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BACKBENCHES»

Discover the use of backbenches in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to backbenches and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Advocate
"It. seems. that. Hollywood. is. still. relegating. lesbian. characters. and. artists. to. the. backbenches." -LAURA ZkW\M?Kma the Internet Colgate' % Clear Whitening GEL why not whiten your teeth?
2
The Austen Chamberlain Diary Letters: The Correspondence of ...
14-. 'I. CONTINUE. VERY. LOQUACIOUS!' Leading. from. the. backbenches,. April. 1933. -June. 1935. During the spring of 1933 there was a sudden and dramatic improvement in Chamberlain's spirits as the clouds of gloom which had hung ...
Austen Chamberlain, Robert C. Self, 1995
3
Electing and Ejecting Party Leaders in Britain
In Crick'saccount, the whips, exasperated byDuncan Smith's performance andthe level of antipathy towards him on the backbenches, were involved in encouraging MPs to send letters tothe1922 committee, orat the very least, inmaking it clear ...
Thomas Quinn, 2012
4
War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War on Iraq
3 Those on the Labour backbenches who believe a decision has already been made were reminiscent of another great Rodin sculpture, The Burghers of Calais: alternately grim, resigned, and anguished, shackled to a greater force, unsure of  ...
Milan Rai, 2002
5
Westminster's World: Understanding Political Roles
Characteristic Beliefs and Behaviors: Strategies for Advancement Since the proper mix of strategies for achieving promotion is a mystery, Aspirants get little guidance in their roles. Their work on the backbenches seems like such a haphazard ...
Donald Searing, 1994
6
The Whig World: 1760-1837
Its numerical majority crowded its backbenches and approximated closely to the image of countrified ignorance personified. On its front benches sat men of talent, deficient in pedigree and resources, who tried to keep their wild followers on ...
Leslie Mitchell, 2006
7
The Politics of the Rope: The Campaign to Abolish Capital ...
... and the Turton motion of February 1961 (regarded as critical of Colonial Secretary Macleod and his attempt to impose black majority rule) there was again very little difference in the attitude of the abolitionists and the backbenches generally, ...
Neville Twitchell, 2012
8
Executive Leadership and Legislative Assemblies
This longevity meant that the backbenches were full of 'the dispossessed and the never-possessed' which was where the 'poison' was coming from. Put less dramatically, the backbenches contained either MPs who knew now they would ...
Nicholas Baldwin, 2006
9
The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal and the Search for Peace
and. hence. heavily. subject. to. the. influence. of. the. Tory. backbenches. (to. say . nothing. of. a. reluctant. officer. and. gentleman. class. in. the. army). and that of the Ulster Unionists, continued to predominate, with disastrous results.
Tim Pat Coogan, 2002
10
The Europeanisation of Parliamentary Democracy
As Martin demonstrates, anticipated reactions in the national parliament ( especially on the government backbenches, whose votes are required for transposition) may have a significant influence on a national government's bargaining position ...
Katrin Auel, Arthur Benz, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BACKBENCHES»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term backbenches is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Yanis Varoufakis: why bold, brash Greek finance minister had to go
He has already said he is looking forward to life on the backbenches. But will his sacrifice be enough to placate creditors? Varoufakis leaves an ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
2
The Waugh Zone July 6 2015
... voting 'No' to defy the establishment orthodoxy in Brussels...that's what some siren voices on the backbenches will now be saying. Labour ... «Huffington Post UK, Jul 15»
3
The Nepean contest wasn't about substance
A glance at the Conservative backbenches (and cabinet) makes this long-term consequence for the party painfully clear. Listening to the two ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»
4
What if Ken Clarke had become Conservative leader?
... the unofficial leader of anti-Clarke Tories on the backbenches. Mr Clarke, facing Tony Blair one of the most popular prime ministers is modern ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
5
The Prime Minister should rethink his disastrous plan to shrink the …
... payroll votes swells dramatically in relation both to the opposition and to the government's own backbenches. This can't be good for politics. «New Statesman, Jul 15»
6
Editorial: Alberta redux for federal NDP?
... and an eye-popping exodus of savvy Conservative incumbents from the front and backbenches. The combination could be lethal for Prime ... «Edmonton Journal, Jun 15»
7
Meet the Black Country and Staffordshire's new political class of 2015
... in the lottery to present their private members' bills – proposals for legislation that come from the backbenches rather than the government. «expressandstar.com, Jun 15»
8
George Harrison and Gordon Brown were right about tax writes …
It is time for Mr Osborne to heed the growing calls from his party's backbenches and unleash the animal spirits of the most enterprising ... «Daily Mail, Jun 15»
9
Why Britain will not survive a vote for Brexit
... shift in the nature of Britain's relationship with the EU — a point already being made by hardline eurosceptics on the Tory backbenches. «gulfnews.com, Jun 15»
10
Army reservist plans 'unachievable,' watchdog warns
The finding will stir concern on Conservative backbenches over the government's failure to protect the defence budget before a spending ... «Financial Times, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Backbenches [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/backbenches>. Apr 2024 ».
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