held a candle to

phrase

past tense of hold a candle to
as in compared (with)
to come near or nearer to in character or quality This "guilt free" macaroni and cheese doesn't hold a candle to the real thing.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Thesaurus Entries Near held a candle to

Cite this Entry

“Held a candle to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20a%20candle%20to. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!