candle

American  

[kan-dl] / ˈkæn dl /

noun

candles plural

1. a long, usually slender piece of tallow or wax with an embedded wick that is burned to give light.

2. something resembling a candle in appearance or use.

3. Optics.

   1. (formerly) candela.

   2. 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.

   3. 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

---

verb (used with object)

candles, present (3rd person singular) candled, past participle, past candling present participle

1. to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.

2. 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

1. 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.

2. burn the / one's candle at both ends. burn.

3. 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.

candle British  

/ ˈkændəl /

noun

1. a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light

2. physics

   1. See international candle

   2. another name for candela

3. to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work

4. informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with

   your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine

5. informal not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle )

---

verb

1. (tr) to examine (eggs) for freshness or the likelihood of being hatched by viewing them against a bright light

candle More Idioms  

1. see burn the candle at both ends; game is not worth the candle; hold a candle to.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• candler
  noun
• uncandled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• candles
  plural

Participles

• candling
  present
• candled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• candle
  simple
• candles
  simple
• have candled
  perfect
• has candled
  perfect
• am candling
  progressive
• are candling
  progressive
• is candling
  progressive
• have been candling
  perfect progressive
• has been candling
  perfect progressive

Past

• candled
  simple
• had candled
  perfect
• was candling
  progressive
• were candling
  progressive
• had been candling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will candle
  simple
• will have candled
  perfect
• will be candling
  progressive
• will have been candling
  perfect progressive

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

Collider's Therese Lacson said, external the series "can't really hold a candle to the movie that started it all".

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

On the corner of another table, the flame from a candle flickers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

On the fireplace mantel is a hot-dog candle, which matches the hot-dog vase in the kitchen, both of which go nicely with her “In My Hot Dog Era” T-shirt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026

He flies like an avenging angel, holding a candle in one hand and grapes in the other.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

The pride burning inside me now wasn’t just a candle; it was a blazing fire.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• torch