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

This means a baguette and a roll are the same—but a bagel and a pretzel are different. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

Another employee put on a pair of gloves and grabbed a bagel to prepare a customer order without first washing hands. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

The flavor has since gone on to be imbued in bagels, over the counter medicines and ice cream. — James Powel, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

In Tokyo, sandwiches are advertised with an image in which the bagel seems to be made of cobwebs and contains a tuna salad that appears to have been inserted via a piping bag. — David MacK, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 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