Jump To:

• yellow pages
  yellow pages

  plural noun

  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
  Yellow Pages

  plural noun

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

yellow pages

American  

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 British  

plural noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of yellow pages

First recorded in 1950–55

Compare meaning

How does yellow-pages compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• white pages vs. yellow pages

Example Sentences

Facebook didn’t buy yellow pages or local newspapers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

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

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2021

It was tied into the advertising it was doing in the yellow pages.

From The Verge • Jun. 8, 2021

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 • Feb. 24, 2020

There is a book in the pocket of the trench coat, a copy of The Comedians by Graham Greene, with yellow pages and tiny print.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• phone book