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

There are baking projects like homemade bagels, riffs on fast-food favorites, and a couple of drinks to round things out. —Hannah Lee Leidy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 May 2026

Worse, the smell of his daily bagel lingers in the car, often all the way to my place of work 25 minutes down the road from the school. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 9 May 2026

Made in-house using traditional methods, the bagels at Townie are something of a local favorite, especially thanks to unexpected flavor options like apple-cranberry, olive-fennel, and bacon-cheddar. —Christina Pérez, Vogue, 8 May 2026

After completing her two-race deal with the bagel shop, Decker will have raced four times this year, which is the most action she's seen behind the wheel since 2021. —Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 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