candlepower

noun

can·​dle·​pow·​er ˈkan-dᵊl-ˌpau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce candlepower (audio)
: luminous intensity expressed in candelas
also : candela

Examples of candlepower 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.
In an opera obsessed with darkness and light, lighting designer D.M. Wood can’t be bothered to provide the right candlepower at the right moments. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2023 Its contentious backstory aside, the setting floats atop Chavez Ravine with nighttime lights glowing like a crown of candlepower above the city. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023 The crowd raised thousands of lit matches — a panorama of candlepower — and roared its approval. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 There are 46 names listed, compared with 135 candidates in the 2003 recall; none possess the celebrity candlepower of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who succeeded Davis. Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2021 And the Lindbergh beacon revived its revolving multimillion-plus-candlepower beam. Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2021 The world was still measured in candlepower, and each bulb had the brightness of sixteen candles. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of candlepower was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near candlepower

Cite this Entry

“Candlepower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candlepower. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

candlepower

noun
can·​dle·​pow·​er ˈkan-dᵊl-ˌpau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce candlepower (audio)
: intensity of light expressed in candelas

More from Merriam-Webster on candlepower

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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