VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

candles

noun, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈkændlz/
US/ˈkændlz/

“candles” is a form of “candle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Cylinders of wax with a wick in the middle that burn to give light, used for decoration or celebrations.

    Grammar: This is the plural of the countable noun 'candle': one candle, two candles.

    Patterns

    • light a candle
    • blow out the candles
    • a candle burns

    We put candles on the table because the power had gone out.

    She blew out all the candles on her birthday cake in one breath.

    The church was full of small candles flickering in the dark.

  2. verbtransitivetechnical

    To hold an egg up to a bright light in order to see inside it.

    Grammar: Takes an object: farmers candle eggs to check for cracks.

    Patterns

    • candle eggs
    • candle something to check something

    The farmer candles the eggs to make sure none of them are cracked.

    In the hatchery, workers candle each egg before it goes into the incubator.

Word forms

singularcandle
third person singularcandles
past tensecandled
past participlecandled
-ing formcandling

Common combinations

light a candle
He lit a candle and set it on the windowsill.
blow out the candles
The children sang before she blew out the candles.
a candle burns
A candle burns more quickly in a draft.
candles flicker
The candles flickered every time the door opened.
a candle holder
She bought a brass candle holder at the flea market.

Synonyms and how they differ

taper
A long, thin candle; it is more literary and much less common in everyday speech.
tealight
A small, round candle in a metal cup; only one type of candle, not a general word.

Word family

candlelight noun
The soft light produced by candles: they ate dinner by candlelight.
candlestick noun
A holder that supports one candle.
candlelit adjective
Lit by candles: a candlelit dinner.
candlemaker noun
A person who makes candles.

Commonly confused: candles or candler? candles or handle?

candles vs candler

A rare word for a person who makes or sells candles; do not use it for the object itself.

candles vs handle

A part you hold, as on a cup or door. It sounds similar to 'candles' but is a different word.

Practice

Choose the sentence that uses 'candles' correctly.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “candles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words