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

For another, the white-hot, moment-to-moment global focus by the broadcasters and the paparazzi on the occupants of the seats around her is a given. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025

More recently, there’s been widespread speculation about his mental health, fueled by his erratic social media posts and viral paparazzi run-ins (two of which are sampled across the album). —Thania Garcia, Variety, 11 July 2025

Instead, the glitterati were set to party, and the paparazzi jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. —Paolo Santalucia, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025

Obviously, the test did not, in fact, stop the paparazzi from capturing photos from set—and Murphy has some thoughts about those critiques as well. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 June 2025

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

Rhymes for paparazzo

• palazzo
• terrazzo

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