bagel

American  

[bey-guhl] / ˈbeɪ gəl /

noun

bagels plural

1. a leavened, doughnut-shaped, firm-textured roll, with a brownish glazed surface, made of dough first poached and then baked.

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bagel British  

/ ˈbeɪɡəl /

noun

1. a hard ring-shaped bread roll, characteristic of Jewish baking

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bagels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bagel

1930–35; < Yiddish beygl; compare dialectal German Beugel < Germanic *baug- ring ( see bee ²) + *-il- noun suffix

Compare meaning

How does bagel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bialy vs. bagel

Explanation

A bagel is a kind of baked good made by boiling and then baking a circle of dough until the inside is chewy and the outside is slightly crisp. New York is famous for having many great bagel shops. A bagel is a traditional Jewish roll that's shaped like a doughnut and often served sliced in half, toasted, and spread with butter or cream cheese. New Yorkers claim that their city has the best bagels in the world, although Montreal is also known for its delicious bagels. The word is from the Yiddish beygl, with an Old High German root, boug, or "ring," which describes a bagel's shape.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bagel bagels

The Laemmle NoHo 7 does make really good chicken nuggets, and they do make a really, really bad for you — but delicious — bagel dog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

It was the first time a woman had won a Wimbledon final with a double bagel - the name given to a victory without dropping a game - since Dorothea Lambert Chambers in 1911.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

She’s one of us, a fan of an onion bagel for breakfast, even if it makes her breath stink.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

Queer women are being credited for bringing the fun back to San Francisco with dozens of new restaurants, wine and cocktail bars, breweries, bagel shops and pizzerias.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

He feels hungry all of a sudden, wishes he’d thought to save the bagel the stewardess had handed him on the plane.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

A subway station near Madison Square Garden has been given a Knicks-themed makeover, and businesses across New York City's five boroughs are offering meal deals and special orange-and-blue ice-cream and bagels.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

We could break bread with New York’s famous bagels, except the New York Times told us we have the better bagels.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

Six new Pasadena bakeries to visit for cinnamon rolls, cookies, croissants, Labubu tarts, bagels, gluten-free desserts and vegan pastries.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

PopUp bagels are not much bigger than a palm, and come in just five flavors: plain, poppy, salt, sesame and everything.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

But as we gather in Regatta Park and help ourselves to scrambled eggs, orange juice, and bagels, I realize something.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen