candle
Americannoun
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candles
plural
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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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candles,
present (3rd person singular)
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candled,
past participle, past
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candling
present participle
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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candlesimple
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candlessimple
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have candledperfect
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has candledperfect
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am candlingprogressive
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are candlingprogressive
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is candlingprogressive
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have been candlingperfect progressive
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has been candlingperfect progressive
Past
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candledsimple
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had candledperfect
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was candlingprogressive
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were candlingprogressive
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had been candlingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
"At the very least, I wanted to come down, lay a candle... to make an appearance," said the 25-year-old, who studies fashion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
In a statement released by his office on Wednesday afternoon, Netanyahu said he had lit a memorial candle commemorating every victim of 7 October.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Other images were less place-centric—an MRI, a candle, a horde of monarch butterflies, the storm of the Señora’s tears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
However, listing images of the property show that it is now completely empty—with not a single Juicy Couture sweatsuit or scented candle in sight, suggesting that Madison has vacated the home completely.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
She rolled the black candle in the fire-red powder and set the candle in the middle of the map.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The walls are full of vibrant paintings, and lined with plants, statuettes and candles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
I have a feeling those birthday candles lit a fire under you.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
A small group of people huddled around the tribute in Sol on Thursday, some visibly moved, while tourists tried to navigate an obstacle course of tents and candles.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
To determine their intrinsic brightness, astronomers use other standard candles, such as Cepheid stars, in the galaxies nearby.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
At least two dozen cards had a return address of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females in Heathcote—but Penelope had no time to look further, for her party guests had already lit the candles.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Unlike with most poultry, the eggs cannot be candled to check on the embryo growing inside for the 52 days between laying and hatching.
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022
Early on, she candled eggs for a poultry farm while he played “frisbee on the green.”
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 20, 2018
If an egghead is candled, what shows up?
From Time Magazine Archive
Sample eggs are then candled to determine whether the agent is properly infecting the embryos.
From Time Magazine Archive
When at length the candled branches lay upon the table, the light of the lanterns overhead revealed, as he had hoped, a second paper.
From Diane of the Green Van by Leona Dalrymple
Unclear, though certificates on the walls congratulate her on her mastery of ear candling and reiki.
From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2015
His wife, when not mothering their five boys and three girls, spent grueling days standing at a local produce house as she examined poultry eggs under a light - what they call candling.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2014
Sam Cruz, a 12-year IRS employee who works in candling, said he finds something left behind maybe two or three times for every thousand envelopes.
From Washington Post
Women go to the candler for an afternoon--the average candling takes about an hour--of relaxation.
From Time Magazine Archive
The loss in candling is generally kept account of, but is seldom charged back to the shipper.
From The Dollar Hen by Milo M. (Milo Milton) Hastings
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