candle

American  

[kan-dl] / ˈkæn dl /

noun

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

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verb (used with object)

candled, candling

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 )

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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.

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Other Word Forms

• candler noun
• uncandled adjective

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

Cigarette butts litter the floor, moldy food is left to decay on greasy dishes and the ceiling is stained with candle soot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

A doji candle on Dec. 5 caused the fund to quickly drop back underneath its 200 day simple moving average.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

A bearish engulfing candle followed on July 18.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Even Leeds’ Thespians on Demand, the famed English acting troupe known far and wide for their loud voices and shameless overacting, could not hold a candle to this family.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• torch