Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To look about or survey with unsophisticated wonderment or curiosity.
  • noun A rubbernecker.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Someone who engages in rubbernecking, or turning and staring.
  • noun US, obsolete A tourist.
  • noun Someone or something with a flexible neck.
  • verb 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.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a tourist who is visiting sights of interest
  • noun a person who stares inquisitively
  • verb strain to watch; stare curiously

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Coined in the sense of "tourist" in the United States in the late 19th century. A favored Americanism of H.L. Mencken.

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Examples

Comments

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  • I always thought to rubber-neck was to look at something that is moving past one (or that one is moving past) so that one's head swivels on one's neck to keep it in sight

    February 19, 2008

  • Appleandy, if you're referring to the definition above, click on "more" and you'll see that definition. WeirdNet can be weird at times. :-)

    February 19, 2008