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 a metaphor that involves hot dog fingers and black-hole bagels doesn’t work for you, Magruder has another one. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 1 Nov. 2024

His greatest feat may be the hot dog, a thick sausage wrapped in flaky croissant dough covered in everything bagel seasoning. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

This bagel kit comes with twelve bagels, cream cheese, and one pound of Nova Scotia smoked salmon. —Kaila Yu, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Start by combining one-fourth cup of labneh, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, one-fourth cup of thawed frozen spinach, and a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning in a bowl. —Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 22 Oct. 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