candle
a long, usually slender piece of tallow or wax with an embedded wick that is burned to give light.
something resembling a candle in appearance or use.
Optics.
(formerly) candela.
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.
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. Abbreviation: c., c
to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.
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 about candle
burn the / one's candle at both ends. burn1 (def. 56).
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.
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.
Origin of candle
1Other words from candle
- candler, noun
- un·can·dled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use candle in a sentence
Lit candles represented a one, and unlit positions on the menorah were zeros.
Their candles are hand-poured and come in dozens of different scents.
Shop local this season and make a difference | Parker Purifoy | December 17, 2020 | Washington BladeGive this candle to the space lover in your family, and they’ll be excited to light it up.
When he burned his fingertips lighting candles around the house, he felt nothing.
For Years, JaMarcus Crews Tried to Get a New Kidney, but Corporate Healthcare Stood in the Way | by Lizzie Presser | December 15, 2020 | ProPublicacandle by candle, one byone, from a distanceThe light is still here.
Candler helps them to engage with the world, but he is in many ways the most damaged of them all.
A Bar of Paranoid Schizos: Robert Boswell’s ‘Tumbledown’ | Drew Toal | August 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTCandler is a good-looking guy (but not too good-looking), and smart (but not too smart).
A Bar of Paranoid Schizos: Robert Boswell’s ‘Tumbledown’ | Drew Toal | August 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA slight rap at her chamber door dispelled Juliet's slumbers, and Ruth Candler entered the room.
Mark Hurdlestone | Susanna MoodieMr. Candler seems to suggest that my goal is something more than merely attaining justice on the Khilafat.
Freedom's Battle | Mahatma GandhiOccasionally, when hens eat unusual quantities of green food, the yolk show a greenish brown tint, and appear dark to the candler.
The Dollar Hen | Milo M. HastingsAll limed or water glassed eggs can be told at a glance by an experienced candler.
The Dollar Hen | Milo M. HastingsHe even knew the details of Asa G. Candler's soda water activities.
The Conquest of America | Cleveland Moffett
British Dictionary definitions for candle
/ (ˈkændəl) /
a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
physics
another name for candela
burn the candle at both ends to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
not hold a candle to informal to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with: your dog doesn't hold a candle to mine
not worth the candle informal not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle)
(tr) to examine (eggs) for freshness or the likelihood of being hatched by viewing them against a bright light
Origin of candle
1Derived forms of candle
- candler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with candle
see burn the candle at both ends; game is not worth the candle; hold a candle to.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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