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

See Examples For:

paparazzi paparazzo

Friends said Harry seemed to enjoy the solitude and privacy, especially as the son of a woman who had lived in the unrelenting glare of the paparazzi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But she was the one that the paparazzi hounded most fiercely, feeding malicious tabloid coverage focused on her body image and weight.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Jenner hates the paparazzi for invading her privacy but sees no moral quandary in collecting a check from Mark Zuckerberg, who wants to invade everyone’s privacy.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s No. 1 for us,” George said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

A mob of paparazzi have crowded there, some of them pushing past the security.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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

Taylor's Swift's father will not be charged over accusations he assaulted a paparazzo in Australia.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024

“With Kevin away so much, no one was around to see me spiral—except every paparazzo in America.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

“I don’t pay attention to any of that,” the reality star told a paparazzo while leaving a Los Angeles nail salon Wednesday, according to Page Six.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 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