rubberneck
English · Thesaurus
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rubberneck
- /ˈɹʌbɚˌnɛk/ US
Where it comes from
From rubber + neck. Coined in the sense of "tourist" in the United States in the late 19th century. A favored Americanism of H.L. Mencken.
noun rubbernecks
-
Someone who engages in rubbernecking, or turning and staring.
The uniformed man pointed up at the rubbernecks on the end of the pier.
Similar: rubbernecker
- A tourist.
- Someone or something with a flexible neck. A suitable washer B1 and rubberneck B2, both of well known description, are provided to form with clapper arm B3 a watertight joint...
verb rubbernecks · rubbernecking · rubbernecked
- To watch by craning the neck (as though it were made of rubber), especially if the observer and observed are in motion relative to each other. The driver was so busy rubbernecking, trying to get a good view of the accident, that he was almost part of another accident.
- To cause (someone) to watch in fascinated horror, as if rubbernecking to see a roadside accident. Hoover’s books go down like a T.M.I. Facebook confessional, rubbernecking you in from the first sentence. Certain patterns quickly emerge.
Translations
Every language
noun someone who engages in rubbernecking, or turning and staring — see also rubbernecker
| Español | mirón |
|---|---|
| Français | badaud |
| Deutsch | Gaffer, Gafferin, Schaulustiger |
| Italiano | ficcanaso, curioso, impiccione |
| Русский | зева́ка zeváka, ротозе́й rotozéj |
verb to watch by craning the neck
| Español | sapear, mirar, curiosear |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 引頸而望 /引颈而望 yǐnjǐng'érwàng |
| Français | faire le badaud |
| Deutsch | gaffen, sich den Hals verrenken |
| Русский | глазе́ть glazétʹ, пя́литься pjálitʹsja, тара́щиться taráščitʹsja |
Talk about this word "rubberneck." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rubberneck. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rubberneck. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rubberneck "rubberneck." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rubberneck.Cite this
@misc{rubberneck_2026,
title = {rubberneck},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rubberneck},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
