paparazzi

American  

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

plural noun

paparazzo singular

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

For a dramatically stripped-bare version of Paparazzi, she's on crutches, snarling at photographers, but soaking up the public's adoration until it frees her to walk unaided.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Co-written by Gaga and directed by Swedish arthouse filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund, the song’s music video serves as a continuation of her "Paparazzi" video.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 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 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