votive candle

noun

plural votive candles
: a short thick candle used especially as a prayer offering or for decoration
Male and female patrons crowd together at small tables where flames wobble on colored votive candles.Rachel Hickerson
… in some parts of the church you still bake. A lot of churches have gotten rid of votive candles because of the soot and the heat.Rev. John Kozar, quoted in The Pittsburgh (PA) Press

called also votive

Examples of votive candle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The house inside an exclusive subdivision in southern Jalisco state contained a crucifix, as well as a makeshift altar with religious figurines of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Charbel Makhlouf, along with votive candles with images of saints. ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026 For three days, leaders of the Seminole, Miccosukee, Tallahassee, and Creek Indians gathered in the surrounding woods, until a hundred blazes glowed like votive candles under the canopies. Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026 The site where Pretti was killed, on Nicollet Avenue near 26th Street, was decorated with hundreds of pillar and votive candles and dozens of flower bouquets and signs left by neighbors and mourners by midday Monday. Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2026 On a table below them, a framed photo of Lester’s smizing headshot was adorned with flowers and votive candles. Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 15 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for votive candle

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of votive candle was in 1608

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Cite this Entry

“Votive candle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/votive%20candle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

votive candle

noun
1
: a candle lit in devotion or gratitude
2
: a small squat candle

called also votive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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