as in eavesdropping
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Dissimilar Words
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
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Recent Examples of 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
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
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Such opportunistic eavesdropping is challenging, because Starlink is consistently optimizing for its primary satellite Internet service by turning beams on and off, or sometimes switching beams as the fast-moving satellites talk to many different users, Kassas explained.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
-
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Their removal has raised concerns of political interference as Kennedy seeks to wield more influence over HHS’s panels of independent experts.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
-
Marte’s three-run homer, the first walk-off of his career, was preceded by home plate umpire Bill Miller calling Susac for catcher’s interference.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
His hands were at ten and two, his face fixed, staring straight ahead.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of seizures can include short-term confusion, staring spells, stiff muscles and jerking movements of the arms and legs.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
That seemed to work for a while, but now his intrusiveness is ramping up again.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Since time immemorial, humans gazing up at the moon have asked grand questions.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
Other communities, such as Malibu, have developed ordinances to reduce glare and artificial light, as has Joshua Tree National Park, a star-gazing haven that is designated an International Dark Sky Park.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Though Porter became well-known for her blunt questioning of witnesses in Congress, her brusque style has not translated to broad support in California’s 2026 governor’s race.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
During questioning, Becker also revealed that leases or contracts for the properties in question include a clause that Earthrise could use the properties for battery storage.—
Alicia Fabbre,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
With that said, the game has managed to rack up an impressive five million sales in under a month, developing a dedicated fanbase that's been probing and prying at the game's engine, with delightful and sometimes unexpected results.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Rubbernecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecking. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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