as in stared
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
thoughtless drivers pausing on the highway to rubberneck at the accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbernecked
Verb
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Ursula stared up from the gloomy nave at the enormous mahogany machine booming from the balcony and, rising from it, those shining, impossible banks of pipes that reached into the arches above.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026 -
In response, Ellerbe’s attacker simply stared at her.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Locals complained tourist gawked at them or traipsed through their yards.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a few photos, the pair gazed into each other's eyes with warm, affectionate expressions.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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Stood frozen to the backdrop of unrestrained exultation, Cholowsky — the presumptive top pick in July’s MLB Draft — gazed over the boy’s shoulder with a thousand-yard stare.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rubbernecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecked. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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