candle

UK: /ˈkænd^əl/ US: /ˈkændəl/ ,(kan′dl)

Inflections of 'candle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

candles

v 3rd person singular

candling

v pres p

candled

v past

candled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

can•dle /ˈkændəl/   n., v., -dled, -dling. 
n. [countable]

1. a long, usually slender piece of wax with a wick in the middle, burned to give light.

Idioms

2. Idioms hold a candle to, [~ + object* used with a negative word or phrase, or in questions] to compare favorably with:
   No one can hold a candle to her for fine artistic work.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

can•dle  (kan′dl), n., v., -dled, -dling. 
n. 

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
   • (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. Abbr.: c., c
4. Idioms burn the candle at both ends. See burn (def. 43).
5. Idioms 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.
6. Idioms 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.

v.t. 

7. Food to examine (eggs) for freshness, fertility, etc., by holding them up to a bright light.
8. Wine 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.

• Latin candēla, equivalent. to cand(ēre) to shine + -ēla deverbal noun, nominal suffix; see candid
• Middle English, Old English candel bef. 900

can′dler, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

candle / ˈkænd^əl/ noun

1. a cylindrical piece of wax, tallow, or other fatty substance surrounding a wick, which is burned to produce light
2. another name for candela
3. burn the candle at both ends ⇒ to exhaust oneself, esp by being up late and getting up early to work
4. not hold a candle to ⇒ to be inferior or contemptible in comparison with
5. not worth the candle ⇒ not worth the price or trouble entailed (esp in the phrase the game's not worth the candle)

verb

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

Etymology: Old English candel, from Latin candēla, from candēre to be white, glitter

ˈcandler noun