sell by the candle

verb

To offer for sale by auction as long as a small piece of candle burns; the winning bid is the last one made before the flame goes out.

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Meanings

verbsell by the candle (third-person singular simple present sells by the candle, present participle selling by the candle, simple past and past participle sold by the candle)

present singular third person sells by the candle · participle present selling by the candle · participle past sold by the candle · past sold by the candle

  1. historicalTo offer for sale by auction as long as a small piece of candle burns; the winning bid is the last one made before the flame goes out.
Cite this entry
APA

sell by the candle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20by%20the%20candle

MLA

“sell by the candle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20by%20the%20candle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sell by the candle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sell%20by%20the%20candle.

Source: sell by the candle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.