paparazzo
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of paparazzo
C20: from Italian
Explanation
A paparazzo is a celebrity photographer. You might see a paparazzo snapping pictures of your favorite pop singer as she stands in line at McDonald's. A more common form of paparazzo is its plural, paparazzi. Either way, these nouns refer to photographers who photograph famous people and sell the photos to newspapers, magazines, and web sites. While there's no reason a paparazzo can't be respectful and professional, paparazzi are better known as obnoxious and pushy, invading celebrities' privacy in order to get candid pictures. The word comes from an Italian film, Fellini's "La Dolce Vita," and its photographer character, whose name is Paparazzo.
Vocabulary lists containing paparazzo
You Name It: Eponyms
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In these images Sellers—a comic giant at the height of his career—acts as an eager paparazzo chasing after the self-assured ingénue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Australian police are investigating an allegation by a paparazzo that he was assaulted by Taylor Swift's father.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2024
The veteran paparazzo said he decided to report the attack to police despite not being seriously injured.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024
Days later, when she was again denied entry to Federline’s home to see her sons, she snapped at a paparazzo who just wouldn’t let up.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2023
Courteous and exuberant — he was no annoying paparazzo — Mr. Kirkland was welcomed into stars’ homes and hotel rooms and onto movie sets.
From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
