rubbernecking
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˈrʌbərˌnɛkɪŋ/
- Informal
- It's the internet version of rubbernecking; we hear a commotion in the street and look to see what all the fuss is about.
Examples
-
I'm sure no rubbernecking
Blog text (30) -
Driverless cars do not slow down to gawk at accidents or other incidents, resulting in fewer 'rubbernecking' delays.
Blog text (21) -
Enough with all this rubbernecking.
Blog text (9) -
The entire crowd was rubbernecking now, staring at the couple.
-
Chill out on the rubbernecking.
-
You know the show loves drama, and the rubbernecking factor of the sensitive, low-scoring GOP girl with The Bad Boy of the Ballroom would be huge.
Blog text (14) -
They love so much, but you should go to babalublog.com and engage in a bit of rubbernecking at that hilarious roadside wreck.
Blog text (24) -
Well, now I'm going to be overthinking my rubbernecking (kidding, really, the neck vertebrae aren't what they were) for a week or two on account of all this.
Blog text (6) -
I don't cheat on Martie, is what I'm saying, and I don't get into voyeurism outside of rubbernecking at I-85 crash sites.
Fiction book (1999) -
As we drove past the accident, everyone in the car started rubbernecking to get a better look.
Antonyms
How Distracting
Surface Forms
Morphology
rubbernecking = rubberneck (semi-transparent) = rubber + neck + ing
Formed by adding -ing to the verb 'rubberneck'; the action sense is clear but the verb 'rubberneck' is slang/metaphorical and not fully predictable from 'rubber' + 'neck' for an average learner.
Etymology
Rubbernecking comes from the idea of a rubber 'stretchy' neck that bends to look at things. So, rubbernecking means slowing down or stopping to 'stare' at an accident or unusual event, often causing traffic delays.