rubberneck
To watch by craning the neck, especially if the observer and observed are in motion…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.
» I felt like a rubberneck as I watched the firefighters battle the blaze.
LoverofEnglish · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(transitive)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.
gaffen, sich den Hals verrenken
глазе́тьglazétʹ, пя́литьсяpjálitʹsja, тара́щитьсяtaráščitʹsja
(transitive)To cause (someone) to watch in fascinated horror, as if rubbernecking to see a roadside accident.
- strain to watch; stare curiously
Examples
1 sentencesI felt like a rubberneck as I watched the firefighters battle the blaze.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From rubber + neck. Coined in the sense of "tourist" in the United States in the late 19thFrom rubber + neck. Coined in the sense of "tourist" in the United States in the late 19th century. A favored Americanism of H.L. Mencken.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
rubbernecks, rubbernecking, rubbernecked, rubbernecked| Base form | rubberneck · to rubberneck |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | rubbernecks |
| Present participle | rubbernecking |
| Past simple | rubbernecked |
| Past participle | rubbernecked |
regular · Lesson
Word family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle