rubbernecking 1 of 2

noun

as in eavesdropping

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Dissimilar Words

rubbernecking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rubberneck
as in gawking
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise thoughtless drivers pausing on the highway to rubberneck at the accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 rubbernecking
Verb
As a result, traffic between Morton Grove and Skokie has slowed to a crawl, and on the inbound side there has also been a slowdown due to rubbernecking. — Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 4 May 2026 Instead, Malinin popped his quad axel, the beginning of four minutes that started to feel like rubbernecking a car accident. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026 The whole of football is rubbernecking in their direction. — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbernecking
  1. eavesdropping
  2. gawking
  3. interference
  4. staring
  5. intrusiveness
  6. gazing
  7. questioning
  8. prying
Noun
  • Expect mistaken identities, eavesdropping and a bit of chaos.
    — Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2026
  • More than a year after the tapes were shared, District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Flores for violating a decades-old California eavesdropping statute that prohibits secret recordings without informed consent of all parties present.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of eavesdropping
Verb
  • Such an approach runs the risk of gawking at an unfamiliar people, their hegemonies and their ways of life, even with the best intentions.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 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
Definition of gawking
Noun
  • Getting around interference The biggest technical hurdle in spectrum sharing is interference – what happens when two signals overlap and scramble each other, like two people shouting different things in your ear at the same time.
    — Aylin Yener, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
  • When the waves were reunited, the team used an effect called interference, which occurs when the peaks and troughs of two misaligned waves meet, to measure changes in the free-falling wave.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of interference
Verb
  • Once there, staring at the devastation, there was no denying the reality of death.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026
  • This, like Hamlet, is about staring death in the face and fulfilling a dream not thought impossible.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of staring
Noun
  • That seemed to work for a while, but now his intrusiveness is ramping up again.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Definition of intrusiveness
Verb
  • Lodging options include houseboats along the banks of the Kennebunk River with private rooftop decks for gazing at the autumnal views.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Predictably, this set off a furious round of acrimonious criticism, know-it-all navel-gazing, and schadenfreude.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of gazing
Noun
  • At the police station where the party guests have been taken for questioning, Bret and Robert continue their tense tête-à-tête.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Police detained Evans, who matched the description, for questioning, the report said.
    — Dale Ellis, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of questioning
Noun
  • The guests themselves remained enshrouded in secrecy as black cars were seen driving into a large white tent, with the entrance set off by black curtains, shielding attendees from nearby prying eyes.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, celebrities opting for real-life mountain living include Tom Cruise with his staggering 298-acre mountain estate, as well as Oprah Winfrey, who both chose Telluride, Colorado to build in, live in and escape prying paparazzi.
    — Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of prying

Browse Nearby Words

rubberneckers
rubbernecking
rubbernecks
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Cite this Entry

“Rubbernecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecking. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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