plural candles
1
: a usually molded or dipped mass of wax or tallow containing a wick that may be burned (as to give light, heat, or scent or for celebration or votive purposes)
2
: something resembling a candle in shape or use
a sulfur candle for fumigating
3
: required effort, expense, or trouble
—usually used in the phrase not worth the candle
4
: candela
5
: a thin, upright new shoot forming from a terminal bud on a pine tree in the spring
Pines grow from the branch tips, which elongate into "candles" in spring, then fatten into mature, needle-covered branches. To minimize pine growth, just pinch off the ends of the candles.—
Jim McCausland et al.
Jim McCausland et al.
candled; candling
ˈkan(d)-liŋ,
ˈkan-dᵊl-iŋ
: to examine by holding between the eye and a light
especially
: to test (eggs) in this way for staleness, blood clots, fertility, and growth
Examples of candle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
There’s also tons of space on top for tablets, wine glasses, candles, and more.
—Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2024
After all these scores of decades, will America the free still see and be the uplifting, candled light of its soon-approaching 250th birthday?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for candle 
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Noun
At the end of the cocktail hour, the gospel choir returned to sing as guests walked back into The Pool for dinner where the tables were overflowing with candles, florals, and fruits.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
There’s also tons of space on top for tablets, wine glasses, candles, and more.
—Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
Other key players in Welch's lighting lineup include warm-toned twinkle lights and candle warmers.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2024
After all these scores of decades, will America the free still see and be the uplifting, candled light of its soon-approaching 250th birthday?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for candle
Dictionary Entries Near candle
Cite this Entry
“Candle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candle. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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