rubbernecked

verb

past tense of rubberneck
as in stared
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise thoughtless drivers pausing on the highway to rubberneck at the accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbernecked
  1. stared
  2. gawked
  3. gazed
Verb
  • Clancy stared at the jury with no expression when Sullivan earlier explained to the courtroom that the jurors were at a standstill.
    — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Dos Santos stared toward the clock in amazement after finishing the 400-meter hurdles Thursday night at the Diamond League meet in Zurich.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of stared
Verb
  • People in surrounding cars gawked, waved and, in one instance, rolled down their windows to shout something that went unheard, as Bonelli explained that the van had internal cameras that were always on but not always being watched.
    — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • On Thursday, the nuisance from the wings was the one being gawked at by a cast young enough to be his kids — a detail Wilson clocked from backstage.
    — Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of gawked
Verb
  • In the box, jumpers gazed up at several large monitors that displayed maps and live weather updates.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • On Air Force One, somewhere above Alaska, White House communications director Steven Cheung gazed out at the Northern Lights.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of gazed
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.

Browse Nearby Words

rubberneck
rubbernecked
rubbernecker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rubbernecked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbernecked. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All