paparazzo

[pah-puh-raht-soh; Italian pah-pah-raht-tsaw]

See more synonyms for paparazzo on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pa·pa·raz·zi

[pah-puh-raht-see; Italian pah-pah-raht-tsee] /ˌpɑ pəˈrɑt si; Italian ˌpɑ pɑˈrɑt tsi/.

a freelance photographer, especially one who takes candid pictures of celebrities for publication.

Origin of paparazzo

1965–70; < Italian, from the surname of such a photographer in Federico Fellini's La dolce vita (1959), after the name of a hotelkeeper in George Gissing's By the Ionian Sea (1901), read by Fellini in It translation at the time of the movie's producton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for paparazzo

paparazzo, shutterbug, cameraperson

Examples from the Web for paparazzo

Contemporary Examples of paparazzo

Paparazzo was, in fact, the name of a photographer in his film.
Exposed: Paparazzi vs. the Stars Over the Past 50 Years
Sarah Moroz
February 27, 2014
When the paparazzo pestered him again, asking, “So he could do without the Grammys?”
Justin Bieber Freaks Out Over Grammys, Feuds With the Black Keys
Marlow Stern
February 13, 2013
“We called him BK Boy and he gets upset,” says a New York City paparazzo who frequently stalks the couple.
Anne Hathaway's New Fiancé, Adam Shulman, a Mystery Man
Diane Herbst
December 6, 2011
The paparazzo ruffled and out a functioning camera, then threatened Madoff Mack with a lawsuit.
Madoff's Daughter-in-Law Speaks Out
Sara Gilford
October 22, 2011
Shockingly the film also contains a paparazzo picture of Diana dying.
Princess Diana’s 50th Birthday: The ‘Unanswered Questions’
Martyn Gregory
July 1, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for paparazzo

paparazzo

noun plural -razzi (-ˈrætsiː)

a freelance photographer who specializes in candid camera shots of famous people and often invades their privacy to obtain such photographs

Word Origin for paparazzo

C20: from Italian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for paparazzo

see paparazzi.