photobomb

American

[foh-toh-bom] / ˈfoʊ toʊˌbɒm /

verb (used with object)

to ruin (a photograph) by appearing in the image without the photographer’s knowledge, often in some dramatic or comical way.

My brother photobombed what would have been a nice photo of my grandma and me.
to do this to (the subject of a photograph or the photographer).

I thought I had a great picture, but I got photobombed by a pigeon flying by.

noun

a photograph that is ruined in this way.

Other Word Forms

photobomber noun
photobombing noun

Etymology

Origin of photobomb

First recorded in 2005–10; photo + bomb ( def. )

Vocabulary lists containing photobomb

Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: photo

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

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.

Previous Collins' words of the year include lockdown, climate strike, single-use, fake news, Brexit, binge-watch, photobomb and geek.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2022

"I'm sure a lot of other Pittsburgh brides would love for him to photobomb their shots," she said of Hanks, who has crashed several weddings in the past.

From Fox News • Mar. 22, 2022

But Ndakasi had already lived an interesting life before the photobomb.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2021

They found that 313 star systems were previously in the right spot to see Earth photobomb the Sun in the last 5,000 years.

From The Verge • Jun. 23, 2021

As we began our late night Zoom call, the cunning kitty pulled off an unexpected photobomb by jumping into the frame and absolutely refusing to leave.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023