can't hold a candle to
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My pathological liar character can’t hold a candle to you!
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2023
Joe isn't necessarily more appealing than his predecessor, and "You" at its best can't hold a candle to the greatest seasons of "Dexter."
From Salon • Nov. 7, 2021
A search engine can’t hold a candle to all the libraries in the world where the books actually exist, live, breathe, and argue with one another.
From The Guardian • May 13, 2017
“It’s another level of value,” Challenger says. The holiday bonus or “attaboy” email you get from your boss can’t hold a candle to the sense of purpose fire fighters get from saving people’s lives.
From Time • Dec. 14, 2012
Why, he can't hold a candle to Phil for birth and name!
From Patty Blossom by Wells, Carolyn
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.
