Definition of rubbernecknext
as in tourist
a person who travels for pleasure every year raucous rubbernecks by the busload descend upon the city for its famed Mardi Gras

Synonyms & Similar Words

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rubberneck

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rubberneck
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
So there’s no reason to rubberneck Tagovailoa’s career, praising his success, or celebrating his failures. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 Time to put fingers over your eyes, otherwise this is just rubbernecking. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rubberneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubberneck
Noun
  • More than 400 foreign nationals are among the 579 tourists missing in the rugged mountainous region, which is popular with pilgrims and trekkers.
    Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Nepal’s tourism ministry reported 403 tourists unaccounted for, including 341 foreign nationals.
    Milad Haghani, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • People in surrounding cars gawked, waved and, in one instance, rolled down their windows to shout something that went unheard, as Bonelli explained that the van had internal cameras that were always on but not always being watched.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels.
    Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Since 2017 individual travelers have also been able to pass through the port.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • On Wednesday, a massive ice-rock avalanche triggered flash floods in Nepal’s steep Himalayan valleys, killing at least 72 people, sweeping away villages and roads, and leaving hundreds of residents and travelers missing.
    Niranjan Shrestha, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Others are stretched across agonizing stretches of silence while Barrett lets an audience stare into the darkness and imagine every horrible possibility before finally springing the trap.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Which is why her character flicks through YouTube plastic surgery videos and stares at older women on the bus, comparing her wrinkles and checking her neck for any signs of sagging.
    Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Their mornings begin with coffee and toast on the deck, gazing over the village rooftops to the ocean.
    Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Deployed in 2004, the Swift Observatory spent over two decades gazing into some of the universe’s most powerful explosions.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rubberneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubberneck. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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