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 don't miss Wildgrain, whose new-to-Amazon storefront has some of the tastiest bagels, breads, cookies and more marked down for the sale. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Breakfast includes smart versions of the usual suspects of avocado toast, bagels and lox, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch is grab-and-go sandwiches, asfew guests are milling around mid-day. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

The coffee shop ships New York bagels from a national distributor two to three times a week so New Yorkers can get a taste of home. — Sheeka Sanahori, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

Gertie began as a Jewish diner in Williamsburg and was recently reborn in Prospect Heights, as a bagel shop. — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 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