paparazzo

noun

pa·​pa·​raz·​zo ˌpä-pə-ˈrät-(ˌ)sō 

plural paparazzi ˌpä-pə-ˈrät-(ˌ)sē 

: a freelance photographer who aggressively pursues celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs

a movie star surrounded by a swarm of paparazzi

Examples of paparazzo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 34-year-old popstar knew how to avoid paparazzi and crowds after dining with friends at popular Beverly Hills restaurant Spago in January. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

This was a red-carpet event with full-on paparazzi. —Ryleigh Nucilli, Outside Online, 23 Oct. 2024

Bieber and Gomez split for the first time in November 2012, and in March 2013, Bieber was getting aggressive with paparazzi in London. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024

With people questioning if their feelings for each other are real or just for show, the pressure mounts from the press, paparazzi, their fans and even their family, including Drew’s sister-in-law, Nicole (Haley Kalil). —EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Paparazzo, surname of such a photographer in the film La dolce vita (1959) by Federico Fellini

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

paparazzo

noun

pa·​pa·​raz·​zo ˌpä-pə-ˈrät-(ˌ)sō 

plural paparazzi ˌpä-pə-ˈrät-(ˌ)sē 

: a freelance photographer who aggressively pursues celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs