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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LeBron James stared stoically at the video board.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026 -
Near the launch site, members of the crowd shrieked or stared in disbelief.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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They’re presented as endearing surprises of nature and life, celebrated rather than gawked at.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Dec. 2025
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Drilling for progress As the rest of us gawked at Maye’s pinpoint accuracy on his 55-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win — the longest of his career — Maye’s position coach smiled for a different reason.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chopra gazed happily into the camera as the boat sped along the water.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
21 Jan. 2026
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The researchers recorded how often a horse gazed at the object and how often the animal touched it.—
Marta Hill,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rubbernecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecked. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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