rub·ber·neck

[ruhb-er-nek] Informal.
verb (used without object)
1.
to look about or stare with great curiosity, as by craning the neck or turning the head.
verb (used with object)
2.
to gawk at: The tieup was due to drivers rubbernecking an accident.
noun Also, rub·ber·neck·er.
3.
a sightseer; tourist.
4.
an extremely curious person.
Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism; rubber1 + neck

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
rubberneck (ˈrʌbəˌnɛk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a person who stares or gapes inquisitively, esp in a naive or foolish manner
2.  a sightseer or tourist
 
—vb
3.  (intr) to stare in a naive or foolish manner

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Rubberneck is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to flee; abscond:
chat, to converse
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Slang Dictionary

rubberneck definition


  1. n.
    one who stares at something or someone; a tourist. (As if the tourist's neck is stretching to see even farther. See also gander.) : At noon the sidewalks are crowded with rubbernecks.
  2. in.
    to stare (at something or someone). : Traffic is stalled because of all the drivers who are rubbernecking.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Please do not park on the side of the road or rubberneck to watch the fireworks.
Rubberneck the lobby, then amble out to the dazzling shoreline.
Dutifully turning out to rubberneck weekend strollers has diminishing returns.
Rubberneck-don't watch what is going on and then slam into the back of another vehicle when that vehicle stops suddenly.
Related Words
bystander gawk
gawk
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