Word.ws English Dictionary

holding a candle for

holding a candle for is the present participle and gerund of hold a candle for.

Meaning of hold a candle for

Verb

hold a candle for (third-person singular simple present holds a candle for, present participle holding a candle for, simple past and past participle held a candle for)

  1. To feel romantic attraction for.
    • Despite Dawson now having the starring role, she still held a candle for her celebrity crush.2014, Rachael Johns, Tease Me, Cowboy

Questions about holding a candle for

What is holding a candle for the present participle and gerund of?
Holding a candle for is the present participle and gerund of hold a candle for.

Words near holding a candle for in the dictionary

  1. holdfastness
  2. holdfasts
  3. holdin'
  4. holding
  5. holding a candle
  6. holding a candle for
  7. holding a grudge
  8. holding a gun to someone's head
  9. holding a light
  10. holding a mirror to
  11. holding a mirror up to

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: holding a candle for (page history and authors); hold a candle for (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “holding a candle for.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/holding_a_candle_for. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.