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

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

From Los Angeles Times

Duncan, who describes his father as the "godfather of Heathrow paparazzi", said he worked until the last decade of his life.

From BBC

“Jeremy is the one and only,” she wrote in the comments section, after condemning the paparazzi.

From Los Angeles Times

Vanessa Hudgens said her family’s privacy was invaded after paparazzi images were circulated online of her leaving the hospital with her newborn baby.

From Los Angeles Times

She went on to be the first actress to sign a million dollar contract for a single film, for Cleopatra, and her romantic relationship with co-star Richard Burton sparked a paparazzi frenzy.

From BBC