VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

photo booth

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈfəʊtəʊ ˌbuːθ/
US/ˈfoʊtoʊ ˌbuθ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A small enclosed cabin with a camera, where you sit, pay and receive a short strip of instant pictures of yourself.

    Grammar: Countable: a photo booth, two photo booths. Use 'in a photo booth' for the place.

    Patterns

    • in a photo booth
    • a photo booth at somewhere

    We squeezed into the photo booth at the station and made four silly faces.

    Passport pictures can still be taken in the photo booth near the post office.

    The old photo booth ate my coins and gave me nothing.

  2. nouncountable

    A hired setup at a party or event, often open-fronted with props, where guests take fun photos that are printed or shared on the spot.

    Grammar: Often something you hire: we booked a photo booth for the reception.

    Patterns

    • rent a photo booth
    • a photo booth with props

    The couple hired a photo booth with hats and giant glasses for the wedding.

    Guests lined up at the photo booth all night to get printed strips.

    Our school fair had a photo booth that sent pictures straight to your phone.

Word forms

pluralphoto booths

Common combinations

step into a photo booth
She stepped into the photo booth and pulled the curtain shut.
rent a photo booth
We decided to rent a photo booth for the birthday party.
photo booth strip
He kept a photo booth strip of them in his wallet for years.
photo booth props
The photo booth props included feather boas and plastic mustaches.
coin-operated photo booth
The arcade still has a coin-operated photo booth.

Synonyms and how they differ

photo kiosk
A photo kiosk usually prints pictures you already have, while a photo booth takes new pictures of you.
selfie station
Selfie station is a newer, informal term for an event setup where guests take their own photos, and it rarely means the old coin-operated cabin.
photobooth
Photobooth is simply a common one-word spelling of the same thing, often seen in brand names.

Word family

photo noun
a picture taken with a camera
photograph noun
the full word for a photo
photographer noun
a person who takes pictures
booth noun
a small enclosed or partly enclosed space

Commonly confused: photo booth or phone booth?

photo booth vs phone booth

A phone booth is a small cabin with a public telephone. A photo booth is the cabin with a camera.

Practice

At the wedding, guests put on funny hats and took pictures in the ___, which printed a strip for each group.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “photo booth”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words