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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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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Anadolu via Getty Images Apple users are starting to receive their share of a $95 million cash payout to settle a class action case alleging Siri eavesdropping.—
Kate O'Flaherty,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Only a few other animals, like parrots and apes, have demonstrated a knack for this kind of eavesdropping.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Armed soldiers patrolled in droves, spreading hate and fear everywhere, blindfolding children, pointing guns, gawking, spitting, laughing at us like animals in the zoo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Without any thermal interference from vibrating atoms because the atoms are so cold as to be nearly still, scientists hope to isolate the minuscule signals from dark matter.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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In addition, much of the feedback seems to urge the FCC to deny the plan over other impacts, including interference to astronomy and light pollution concerns.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Jen remains utterly unmoved, staring impassively as Whitney, who seems truly blindsided, starts to lose her mind a little bit.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
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Beyond the relatable thought of two of the best golfers in the world staring at their closets, wondering what to put on before a tee time, there’s a lot of earnings potential coming out of Fleetwood’s and Thomas’s situations.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The springs are the perfect location for a picnic and an afternoon spent lounging and swimming in the pool of clear, clean spring water and gazing at the small waterfall.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
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But the real luxury is the intimacy and hands-on attention guests receive, from sitting by the fire and gazing out at the glaciers to shredding powder in the alpine.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The same attorney who had once urged the faster consideration of the dog beach project eventually bristled at the Zoning Board of Appeals as its lengthy questioning wore on.—
Shun Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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Police said five suspects were detained for questioning, and 17-year-old Maverik Parish was arrested and faces a murder charge, according to jail records.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 19 Mar. 2026.
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