yellow pages

plural noun

, (often initial capital letters)

1. a classified telephone directory or section of a directory, listing subscribers by the type of business or service they offer, usually printed on yellow paper.

Yellow Pages

plural noun

1. a classified telephone directory, often printed on yellow paper, that lists subscribers by the business or service provided

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellow pages¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

“One day I picked up 42 handwritten yellow pages from the previous seven days,” Steve said.

From Los Angeles Times

Thumbing through the yellow pages of the binder, she spoke of Sharqiya’s past: It had up-to-date labs for physics and chemistry and was the first school to incorporate computers into its curriculum.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1960s, he started to dine at Chinese restaurants listed on the local yellow pages.

From BBC

Once they summon their courage, though, the gravest infraction they can commit starts with leafing through the yellow pages, in search of a nursing home.

From New York Times

I looked up places in the yellow pages, and walked into the Fencers Club in New York.

From New York Times

Related Words

• phone book