rubberneck

1 of 2

noun

rub·​ber·​neck ˈrə-bər-ˌnek 

1

: an overly inquisitive person

2

: tourist

especially : one on a guided tour

rubberneck

2 of 2

verb

rubbernecked; rubbernecking; rubbernecks

intransitive verb

1

: to look about or stare with exaggerated curiosity

drivers passing the accident slowed down to rubberneck

2

: to go on a tour : sightsee

rubbernecker

ˈrə-bər-ˌne-kər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• traveller
• tourist
• traveler

Verb

• gawk
• stare
• gaze

Examples of rubberneck in a Sentence

Noun

every year raucous rubbernecks by the busload descend upon the city for its famed Mardi Gras

Verb

She was rubbernecking and almost got in an accident herself.

thoughtless drivers pausing on the highway to rubberneck at the accident

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yet the car will likely obey speed limits, never get drowsy or drunk and never rubberneck or give in to road rage. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 22 June 2025

Flimflam felt better in the mouth than swindle, and rubberneck was a more agreeable verb than crane. —Ralph Keyes, Time, 1 Apr. 2021

Verb

And yet the commercial exploitation of family trauma left me feeling deeply uncomfortable and even ashamed, like I was caught holding a ticket stub for the rubbernecking line at a train crash. —Evelyn McDonnell 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025

That feels like too much of a stretch, perhaps, when the whole of football is rubbernecking in United’s direction. —Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 19 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rubberneck

• biotech
• bottleneck
• quarterdeck
• turtleneck
• zapotec
• aztec
• breakneck
• codec
• exec
• mixtec
• paycheck
• pinchbeck

Kids Definition

rubberneck

verb

rub·​ber·​neck

ˈrəb-ər-ˌnek

: to look around or stare with great curiosity