paparazzi

American  

[pah-puh-raht-see, pah-pah-raht-tsee] / ˌpɑ pəˈrɑt si, ˌpɑ pɑˈrɑt tsi /

plural noun

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.

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Etymology

Origin of paparazzi

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

Paparazzi cameras outside documented every second of the now-infamous night in 2007, later following her with her new buzzcut to get a tattoo.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

Paparazzi aside, Maya’s experience of shuttling between two homes was still more common than the arrangement described in the essay Maya reads: “Our Kinder, Gentler, Nobody-Moves-Out Divorce,” by Jordana Jacobs.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2024

Paparazzi photographed Kravitz holding onto Tatum as he peddled a small BMX bike through the streets.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Paparazzi photos have circulated all week of the two holding hands as they strolled through New York City before and after making separate cameo appearances on “Saturday Night Live.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023

I took some pictures, ignoring the little voice inside that said Paparazzi!

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali