What is Benchship?

What is Benchship?

Benchship refers to a situation where someone is not the primary romantic interest, but they are still around, kind of like a backup or secondary option. This can happen in situations where someone is casually hanging out with someone, but there’s no official commitment or clear relationship label. The “bench” part comes from the idea of being benched in sports—you’re not the star player, but you’re still part of the team.

Example in  School Context:

Let’s say two friends, Ravi and Priya, are really close in school. Priya has a crush on someone else, Karan, and is constantly chatting with him, spending time with him, and posting about it on social media. However, when Karan is busy or doesn’t show interest, Priya reaches out to Ravi to hang out or talk. Ravi, even though he knows Priya’s attention is on Karan, still agrees to meet or help her, even though he’s not her main romantic focus.

In this case, Ravi would be in a “benchship” with Priya—he’s not her first choice, but she still keeps him around when she needs attention or support. He’s basically the backup player in her romantic life, similar to how you’re on the bench in sports, waiting for a chance to be called into the game.

This can happen in school settings where relationships can be a bit fluid, and people might not define things very clearly, so you get “benchship” situations where one person might end up being a secondary, “backup” option.