telephone book

American  

noun

telephone books plural

1. a book, directory, or the like, usually containing an alphabetical list of telephone subscribers in a city or other area, together with their addresses and telephone numbers.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• telephone books
  plural

Etymology

Origin of telephone book

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

telephone book

If you have ever had the misfortune to search through the telephone book for somebody called Hanna in Kilkeel, County Down, you will find nearly 50 entries.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2023

Roper equated election polling to stunts like "tearing a telephone book in two" – impressive, but not all that consequential.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2022

But after López-Alt handed in a draft that was closer to the size of a telephone book, his editor decided his wok manuscript could stand on its own.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 10, 2021

He lived in a rented apartment in Santa Monica and listed his name in the telephone book.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2018

This one was called the Stella and the number only appeared in the older telephone book.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• directory
• phone book
• yellow pages