candle
Americannoun
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a long, usually slender piece of tallow or wax with an embedded wick that is burned to give light.
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something resembling a candle in appearance or use.
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Optics.
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(formerly) candela.
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Also called international candle. a unit of luminous intensity, defined as a fraction of the luminous intensity of a group of 45 carbon-filament lamps: used from 1909 to 1948 as the international standard.
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a unit of luminous intensity, equal to the luminous intensity of a wax candle of standard specifications: used prior to 1909 as the international standard. c., c
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verb (used with object)
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to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.
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to hold (a bottle of wine) in front of a lighted candle while decanting so as to detect sediment and prevent its being poured off with the wine.
idioms
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hold a candle to, to compare favorably with (usually used in the negative).
She's smart, but she can't hold a candle to her sister.
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burn the / one's candle at both ends. burn.
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worth the candle, worth the trouble or effort involved (usually used in the negative).
Trying to win them over to your viewpoint is not worth the candle.
noun
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a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
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physics
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another name for candela
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to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
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informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with
your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine
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informal not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle )
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have candledperfect
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has candledperfect 3rd person singular
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am candlingprogressive 1st person singular
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is candlingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been candlingperfect progressive
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are candlingprogressive
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has been candlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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candlessingular 3rd person
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candlingparticiple
Past
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had candledperfect
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had been candlingperfect progressive
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was candlingprogressive singular
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were candlingprogressive plural
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candledsimple
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candledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of candle
First recorded before 900; Middle English candel, candle, condel, Old English candel, condel, from Latin candēla, equivalent to cand(ēre) “to shine, gleam white” + -ēla noun suffix; see candid
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The maker of Yankee Candle and Sharpie on Friday said sales fell 7.2% to $1.81 billion in the third quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
Newell Brands sank 29% after the maker of Sharpie pens and Yankee Candle reported third-quarter sales that missed Wall Street expectations and the company slashed its full-year outlook External link for earnings and sales.
From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025
Alexander Churchill, the 10-year-old great-great-grandson of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill lit a Candle of Peace, whilst young members of the congregation handed out flowers to veterans.
From BBC • May 8, 2025
Bets are out as to whether or not Elton John's "Candle in the Wind," an adapted version of which was performed at Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997, will be included.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2025
He brought the Candle closer but the Letters were repellant & I believe were merely our Letters backward.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
