bagel

noun

ba·​gel ˈbā-gəl 

plural bagels

1

: a firm doughnut-shaped roll traditionally made by boiling and then baking

2

[from the resemblance of a bagel to the zero in the score of such a set] tennis, slang : a set (see set entry 2 sense 15) in which one player or team wins every game

They were never in danger of losing, taking a 5-1 lead in the first set and registering a bagel in the second.

—Mike McGovern

Examples of bagel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And if Erewhon sells it — sea moss gels, kale chips, bone broth tonics, paleo bagels, celebrity smoothies — it’s almost guaranteed to become a viral sensation among the hot and health-obsessed. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2024

Perhaps a neighborhood-favorite bagel counter was featured on TikTok, so now the line trails out the door. —Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 29 May 2024

All is not well at Ramallah’s first and only bagel restaurant. —Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2024

With a sturdy, wheat bagel; silky sriracha tofu; vegan cheese; avocado; and a Beyond patty, the vegan breakfast sandwich will stave off hunger pangs all afternoon. —Kendyl Kearly, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish beygl, from Middle High German *böugel ring, from bouc ring, from Old High German; akin to Old English bēag ring, būgan to bend — more at bow

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bagel

noun

ba·​gel ˈbā-gəl 

: a firm doughnut-shaped roll