yellow pages

IPA/jˈɛləʊ pˈeɪdʒɪz/
IPA/jˈɛloʊ pˈeɪdʒᵻz/

yellow pages — phrase

1. The part of a printed telephone directory or phonebook that groups businesses an

1.phraseB1
Definition

The part of a printed telephone directory or phonebook that groups businesses and professional services by the type of work they do — for example, listing all plumbers together under 'Plumbing' — and where companies can pay for advertisements.

Example

Darius found a reliable plumber by searching under 'Plumbing' in the yellow pages.

preposition: 'in the yellow pages'

The yellow pages at the back of the phonebook were thicker than the white pages.

Common collocations
  • in the yellow pages
  • look something up in the yellow pages
  • the yellow pages directory
  • a yellow pages advertisement
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • white pages

    the part of a phonebook listing residential phone numbers alphabetically by name, not by category of business

Grammar Patterns

the yellow pages + singular/plural verb

in the yellow pages

Usage Note

Often capitalised as Yellow Pages when referring to the original trademarked phonebook publication produced by telephone companies.

Common Mistakes

I looked it up in the Yellow Page.
I looked it up in the Yellow Pages.
The name is always plural in form, never shortened to Yellow Page.

2. Any listing — whether on a website, in a mobile app, or in print — that organise

2.phraseB1
Definition

Any listing — whether on a website, in a mobile app, or in print — that organises businesses by category in the same way the original printed yellow pages phonebook did.

Example

Paloma searched the online yellow pages for a dentist who speaks Spanish.

collocation: 'online yellow pages'

For a wedding caterer, try the yellow pages site instead of a regular search.

Common collocations
  • online yellow pages
  • yellow pages website
  • yellow pages app
  • search the yellow pages
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the yellow pages + singular/plural verb

Usage Note

Today this sense often refers to digital platforms rather than printed books, though the term 'pages' remains from the original paper format.

Common Mistakes

I used the yellow pages to find my friend's home number.
I used the white pages or a people-search site to find a friend's number.
Yellow pages list businesses and services, not individuals' private phone numbers.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrase/1

Yellow pages, business directory, and classified directory all refer to listings of companies and service providers. Yellow pages is the most recognisable everyday term, originally linked to the yellow-paper phonebook section, and is often used as a proper noun (Yellow Pages). Business directory is a broader, more formal term — it can be a printed booklet, a website, or a chamber of commerce list. Classified directory emphasises the categorical organisation (under 'Plumbers', 'Restaurants', etc.) and may refer to the same thing but is less common in casual conversation. White pages is the opposite concept: it lists individuals by surname rather than businesses by category, so it is used when looking for a person's contact information rather than a service.

yellow pages ↗business directoryclassified directorywhite pages ↗

Etymology

English

The name comes from the yellow-coloured paper that the business-listing section of telephone directories was printed on, to distinguish it from the white-paper residential listings. The first dedicated yellow-pages directory was published in 1883 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, after a printer ran out of white paper and used yellow paper instead. The term gradually became a generic name for any business directory organised by category.

First known use

1909

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1