as in eavesdropping
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as in gawking
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
thoughtless drivers pausing on the highway to rubberneck at the accident
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Recent Examples of rubbernecking
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
Verb
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
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Canvasser was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, according to police records.—
Sasha Pezenik,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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And that communication can be in the open, on a public channel susceptible to eavesdropping.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those are important characteristics for advertisers seeking to make dynamic campaigns for an audience that's grown accustomed to viewing short-form videos on Reels or gawking at cat photos on Facebook and Instagram.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
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On a typical day, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale reverberates with animal cries and the footfalls of gawking visitors.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Several figures from the Russian election interference saga, including former CIA Director John Brennan, have been subpoenaed as part of a probe by federal prosecutors in Florida.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Margo starts an OnlyFans account to pay the bills, all while running interference between her colorful mother (Michelle Pfeiffer), a former Hooters waitress, and her semi-estranged father (Nick Offerman), an ex-pro wrestler who moves in with Margo during his own moment of transition.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Up on their hind legs, sitting around me, staring at me.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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After staring at the dog for 90 seconds, Green went back into his apartment and then threw a cutting board at the dog.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Days are spent barefoot, raising turnips, sitting out by the lake, gazing at the cattle.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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Sifting through data from sun-gazing spacecraft, Battams’s project has found more than 5,000 so far.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Police interviewed Brian Hooker again Monday morning following a three-hour questioning Friday, his attorney, Terrel Butler, said.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
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Hooker was arrested for questioning while police investigate Lynette’s disappearance.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Palm Springs Has Still Got It This desert enclave has long been many things at once—a spa town, a sanctuary away from Hollywood's prying eyes, a design capital, a shoo-in for winter sun.—
Jason Sheeler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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But in the quietest corner of the 10-acre sanctuary, away from the public’s prying eyes, a cohort of most unusual occupants sleep.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbernecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecking. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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