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

The bagel in America is an immigrant story with a hole in the middle. — ABC News, 21 July 2026

Cultivated for thousands of years from poppy plants, these small blue-black seeds are showing up everywhere today, from lemon poppy seed muffins and bagels to salad dressings, curries, pastries and trendy wellness recipes shared across social media. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 July 2026

There have been a few challenges with the kitchen, namely using an oven designed for making bagels to bake bread. — Connie Ogle july 17, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026

As a bagel lover, the spread that lightly melted over my toppings was the star of my plate. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026

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

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bagel

noun

ba·​gel ˈbā-gəl 

: a firm doughnut-shaped roll