paparazzi

[ pah-puh-raht-see; Italian pah-pah-raht-tsee ]

plural noun

, singular pa·pa·raz·zo [pah-p, uh, -, raht, -soh, pah-pah-, raht, -tsaw]

1. freelance photographers, especially those who take candid pictures of celebrities for publication:

   To evade the paparazzi, the actress sent her car to the front entrance and snuck in the back on foot.

   I felt like a paparazzo as I hung around waiting to catch a glimpse of the singer.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paparazzi¹

First recorded in 1965–70; from Italian, from the surname of such a photographer in Federico Fellini's ( def ) La dolce vita (1959), of disputed origin

Example Sentences

But Zuckerberg hit a coolness nadir when paparazzi photographed him in Hawaii riding an electric surfboard with his bubble butt popped out and face lathered—absolutely caked—with bright-white zinc oxide sunscreen.

From Slate

Plus, Musk’s shirtless paparazzi photos are completely nauseating—so he might actually have the Zuckerberg sunscreen photo beat.

From Slate

Celebrities shop at Erewhon and call paparazzi to photograph them there.

From Los Angeles Times

This year, Garfield emerged holding hands in paparazzi photos with Dr. Kate Tomas, a self-proclaimed professional witch.

From Los Angeles Times

Residents in Harris’ Kenter Canyon neighborhood are accustomed to high-profile homeowners — LeBron James and Travis Scott live nearby — and the security details and trail of paparazzi they bring.

From Los Angeles Times