If I have a candle which is lightning and I want to stop it by my touching the wick and stop it mechanically by my fingers at the moment because I want to sleep. Do I want to extinguish it, or to put it out, or to blow it out?
What verb usually describes this action in the spoken English?
If you are using your fingers you are not blowing it out. Extinguish or put out are both OK (the first is a bit more formal). If you are actually pinching the wick between finger and thumb you could even say you are pinching it out
Incidentally, lightning is what comes with thunder. A burning candle is alight.
