Meaning & use
candle
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A stick of wax with a string through the middle that burns to give light.
Grammar: Countable: a candle, two candles. Use 'light' to start it burning and 'blow out' to stop it.
Patterns
- light a candle
- blow out a candle
- a candle burns
She lit a candle when the power went out.
The candle burned slowly on the dinner table.
He blew out all the candles on his birthday cake.
Word forms
| plural | candles |
|---|
Common combinations
- light a candle
- We light a candle every evening during the winter.
- blow out a candle
- Make a wish before you blow out the candle.
- candle flame
- The candle flame flickered in the wind.
- candlelight
- They had dinner by candlelight.
- scented candle
- She bought a scented candle that smells like vanilla.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- candlelight noun
- The light produced by a candle.
- candlestick noun
- A holder for a candle.
- candlelit adjective
- Lit by candles, as in a candlelit dinner.
Commonly confused: candle or candlelight?
candle vs candlelight
Candlelight is the light itself, not the object. You light a candle, but you eat by candlelight.
Practice
Before you go to bed, please ______ the candle so it doesn't burn all night.
Choose one answer.
To stop a candle burning, you blow it out. 'Light' would start it, and 'put on' and 'turn up' are used for electrical devices, not candles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “candle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.