bagel

American  

[bay-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

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Etymology

Origin of bagel

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

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Compare meaning

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

• bialy vs. bagel

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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 cookie shops have a rotating menu of cookies with elaborate toppings, sometimes offering bizarre flavors such as everything bagel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Red pepper flakes and everything bagel seasoning cover the remaining territory — heat, funk, nuttiness, crunch — in a few economical shakes.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Listen, a bagel dog with a recent indie movie?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

There was all the improvised art, including the chant that swept the town: “My mayor is Muslim / My bagel is Jewish / My Christian’s Dior / Knicks in four.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Dad is gone already, and he’s left a note and bagel money on the counter.

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

We’ll either go to Sam’s Bagels, which has the best bagels — the most New York bagels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

These unexpected extras—a few perfume samples or a tchotchke tucked into a shopping bag—aren’t lavish but often produce outsize delight, like when an order of 12 bagels becomes a baker’s dozen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

The shop serves single-origin coffee from Ventura’s Beacon Coffee and breakfast sandwiches featuring house-made bagels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The bagels from Slow to Rise Bakery come in offbeat flavors like cacio e pepe and cranberry orange and cost $20 for a half dozen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

“You buy me rainbow bagels, and it’s over for us....Oh, you even got a salt packet!” said Molly gratefully.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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