Bowl bishop when batting (5)
I believe the answer is:
basin
'bowl' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'bishop when batting' is the wordplay.
'bishop' becomes 'b' (abbreviation used in chess).
'when' becomes 'as'.
'batting' becomes 'in'.
'b'+'as'+'in'='BASIN'
(Other definitions for basin that I've seen before include "dock, maybe" , "Stoup" , "container" , "Dock - vessel" , "Bowl-shaped vessel" .)