RUBBERNECKING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Noun

It was mostly shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv to avoid Israeli eavesdropping and protect its subjects.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 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

Future work could seek to understand other results, like finding out exactly when this type of interference from above becomes counterproductive, or what the long-term effects of managers taking more of a hands-on role with sales might be.

— Daniel E. Chavez, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Those of South Asian descent are often seen as having been brought over by the British, while the Chinese are viewed with suspicion due to China’s political interference in Myanmar.

— Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of interference

Verb

While everyone else is staring at dot plots and hanging on Jensen Huang's every utterance, Illumina (ILMN) has been quietly doing what good charts do.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
But that’s not how the VAR system works, because the Premier League fears that every key decision would end with the ref staring at the pitchside monitor.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of staring

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
Geese’s lead singer, Cameron Winter, is stretched out at full length on a comfortable chair in another corner of the room, gazing intently at a phone with a single large crack marring its screen.

— Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of gazing

Noun

If the convict can help transport the loot from that camp to a safe space far from the government’s prying eyes, the warden will punch his get-outta-jail-free card.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of prying

Browse Nearby Words

rubberneckers

rubbernecking

rubbernecks

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Style

“Rubbernecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecking. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rubbernecking

noun

verb

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