Bleachers is an American term used to describe the raised, tiered rows of seats (stands) found at sports fields or at other spectator events. Stairways access the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row of seats.

In simple bleachers the alternate steps of the access stairways continue sideways, forming a narrow walkway in front of a row of seats.

Seats range from simple plank seats to more elaborate seats with backrests. Many bleachers are open to the ground below—there are only the planks to sit and walk on; if you drop something it can fall off the planks to the ground below. Some bleachers have vertical panels beneath the seats either partially or completely blocking the way to the ground.

A key feature of bleachers is that they are typically uncovered and unprotected from the sun; thus the wooden seats were "bleached by the sun." The term "bleachers" used in this sense can be traced back to at least 1889.The Dickson Baseball Dictionary states that the open seating area was called the "bleaching boards", as early as 1877. Dickson lists as a secondary definition the fans sitting in them. By the early 1900s, the term "bleachers" was being used for both the seating area and its inhabitants.