What it means
To photobomb is to jump or lean into someone's photo at the last second, usually pulling a daft face, so you end up grinning in the background of a picture you were never meant to be in. It can be a stranger ruining a couple's holiday snap or a mate ducking into your selfie. The funnier and more unexpected, the better.
Usage examples
"A random seagull photobombed our beach picture and honestly it's the best shot of the trip."
"He photobombs every group photo with the same ridiculous pose."
"Oi, who photobombed Nan’s birthday pic with rabbit ears behind Grandad"
"She was trying to get a cute mirror selfie and her little brother photobombed it from the doorway looking feral."
Where it comes from
It’s a straight blend of photo and bomb, built on the older idea of something bombing in uninvited and wrecking the neat setup. The word took off in the 2000s once digital cameras, then smartphones, made random snapshots constant and gave people endless chances to jump into frame for a laugh.
