rubberneck

[ ruhb-er-nek ]

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)

1. to gawk at:

   The tieup was due to drivers rubbernecking an accident.

noun

1. a sightseer; tourist.
2. an extremely curious person.

rubberneck

/ ˈrʌbəˌnɛk /

noun

1. a person who stares or gapes inquisitively, esp in a naive or foolish manner
2. a sightseer or tourist

verb

1. intr to stare in a naive or foolish manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubberneck¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; rubber ¹ + neck

Example Sentences

And yet, every few blocks she rubbernecked at another woman’s look, her famous New Yawk accent lifting and tumbling in pleasure at what she saw:

From New York Times

The salesroom at Christie’s was packed on Tuesday evening, as spectators rubbernecked to see if buyers would compete for multimillion-dollar artworks at an auction house still hobbled by a cyberattack.

From New York Times

Other reality TV wedding circuses emerged from this primordial soup too, including a few that built an entire marriage-accessory block on TLC and a market for rubbernecking horror comedies like WEtv’s “Bridezillas.”

From Salon

If fans haven’t grown tired of the scandal, the rubbernecking is sure to continue when the cast makes its dramatic return.

From Los Angeles Times

In an earlier post regarding the incident, officials noted that the dangling cab caused two other crashes as drivers rubbernecked and recorded the scene on their smartphones.

From Washington Times