Benching
Keeping a potential romantic partner available with occasional attention while avoiding commitment or meaningful progress.
“He only texted when his other plans fell through, so she realized she was being benched.”
Benching compares dating to leaving a substitute player on the sidelines in case they are needed later.
The sports metaphor entered online dating vocabulary in the mid-2010s alongside terms such as ghosting and breadcrumbing.
on the bench
Being kept as a backup romantic option.
benched
Placed in that low-priority position.
dating backup
A plain-language description of the behavior.
How is benching different from breadcrumbing?
They overlap, but benching emphasizes keeping someone as a backup, while breadcrumbing emphasizes intermittent attention.
Can benching happen unintentionally?
Yes, especially when someone is indecisive, but repeated low-effort contact can still have the same effect.