# rubbering

Pronunciation: US say "RUB-er-ing" /ˈɹʌbəɹɪŋ/; say "RUB-uh-ring" UK /ˈɹʌbəɹɪŋ/, AUS /ˈɹɐbəɹɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle of rubber. — present participle and gerund of rubber
   - Simple: Present participle of rubber. Use this when describing someone gawking or staring right now.
   - _The whole street was out rubbering at the celebrity's car._
   - _Commuters slowed, rubbering at the overturned truck on the shoulder._

## Noun

2. The act of turning to stare at something, especially slowing down to look at an accident or unusual sight.
   - Simple: The act of stopping to stare at something, like slowing down to look at a car crash.
   - _The highway backed up for miles because of all the rubbering at the overturned tanker._
   - _A little rubbering is natural when a film crew sets up on your block._
3. The practice of secretly listening in on a telephone conversation between other people.
   - Simple: Listening in secret to a phone call between other people.
   - _On the old shared lines, rubbering was the village's main source of gossip._
   - _She suspected rubbering whenever a faint click interrupted her phone calls._

## Origin

Formed from "rubber" combined with the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rubbering (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).