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

The prince has spoken extensively about the impact that tabloid newspapers, paparazzi and private investigators have had on his life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

They played to the paparazzi, vamping at high-profile events including the Kentucky Derby and the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner, and hammed it up in “caught off-guard” moments at the supermarket or over lunch.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

The paparazzi were at the gates, capturing the A-list arrivals, and the event – which raised money for children’s charities - was splashed across newspapers, magazines and TV news reports.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

Both brothers’ decisions are driven in part by an identical desire: to avoid inflicting on their own families a repeat of their own childhood trauma of seeing their mother chased to her death by paparazzi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Just the day before, Uma Thurman slipped in for a quiet lunch with her children, but the paparazzi found her and she left.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times