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:
In addition to Stewart’s ill-conceived effort to raise awareness of the unhoused crisis, the offending image was part of a carousel promoting her QVC candle collection, which she touted as “perfect for Halloween!!!”
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
The caption said her candle collection on QVC was “perfect for Halloween.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday drove a "stunned" Lopez to lay a candle on Thursday at an improvised shrine in the Spanish capital's Puerta del Sol square, the epicentre of the protests.
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
I grab the box of matches, light the candle on the table.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Because their peak brightness can be standardized, astronomers use them as cosmic reference points, often called standardizable candles.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
I arrange flowers, lighting and scented candles, sometimes with wood notes, sometimes with spicier ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Chris Eves said: "We've got loads of torches and candles and lots of flasks so we should be OK."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
LA28 plans to announce partnerships with a number of other local entities that will make a wide variety of items, such as stationery, toys, hats, magnets, candles and pet accessories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
A smiling gray-haired woman whose eyes blazed like candles.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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
And the look of dusk: "The sky glowed like a candled egg."
From Time Magazine Archive
While psychiatrists candled the accused's head, the city focused on its ugly old Cook County jail.
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
After the candling, I receive exfoliation and rejuvenation treatment.
From Time Magazine Archive
The art of egg candling cannot be readily taught by worded description.
From The Dollar Hen by Milo M. (Milo Milton) Hastings
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