Meaning & use
photo bomb
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
To jump into someone else's photograph at the last moment, usually as a joke or by accident, so that you appear in it.
Grammar: Takes the photo or the people as object: he photo bombed our wedding picture.
Patterns
- photo bomb something
- photo bomb someone
My little cousin photo bombed the family portrait by pulling a face.
A seagull photo bombed our sunset selfie.
They tried to photo bomb the reporter's live broadcast.
nouncountableinformal
A picture spoiled or made funny by an unexpected person or thing appearing in the background.
Grammar: Countable: that was a perfect photo bomb.
Patterns
- a photo bomb by someone
The dog's head in the corner made it a classic photo bomb.
Her best photo bomb was beside a famous actor.
That photo bomb ruined an otherwise serious team picture.
Word forms
| third person singular | photo bombs |
|---|---|
| past tense | photo bombed |
| past participle | photo bombed |
| -ing form | photo bombing |
| plural | photo bombs |
Common combinations
- photo bomb a picture
- He photo bombed our picture with a silly face.
- get photo bombed
- We got photo bombed by a tourist waving at the camera.
- a classic photo bomb
- The goat in the background was a classic photo bomb.
- photo bomb a wedding
- A stranger tried to photo bomb the wedding shoot.
- photo bomb attempt
- His photo bomb attempt failed because everyone saw him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crash
- It is broader, as in crashing a party, and does not mean getting into a picture specifically.
- gatecrash
- It means entering an event uninvited, not appearing in a photo.
- intrude on
- It is more serious and general, with no sense of joking.
Word family
- photobomber noun
- a person who photo bombs
- photobombing noun
- the act of jumping into a photo
- photograph noun
- a picture taken with a camera
Commonly confused: photo bomb or photo op?
photo bomb vs photo op
A photo op is a planned occasion for taking pictures, not a surprise intrusion.
Practice
A stranger leaned into our group picture and grinned at the camera. He had ___ our photo.
Choose one answer.
To photo bomb is to jump into someone's picture. Cropping and developing are things the photographer does.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “photo bomb”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.