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noun Uncommon

bagel

BAY-guhl

Bagel (noun) means a dense, ring-shaped bread roll that's boiled briefly before being baked. Example: “He toasted a bagel and spread cream cheese on it for breakfast.”

noun
1
A dense, ring-shaped bread roll that's boiled briefly before being baked.
"He toasted a bagel and spread cream cheese on it for breakfast."
2
In tennis, a set won or lost by a score of 6–0, named for the shape of the "0" resembling a bagel.
"She gave her opponent a bagel in the first set."

How to use bagel

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA chewy, ring-shaped bread, or in tennis slang, a set won without the loser scoring a single game.

Common pairings
bagel and cream cheese toasted bagel

Word forms

bageled past tense, bagelled past tense, bagels plural, bagels singular

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He toasted a _____ and spread cream cheese on it for breakfast.

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish beygl, ultimately traced back to a Middle High German word meaning "ring" or "bracelet," which describes the bread's distinctive round shape.

Origin: German

beigel

Rhymes for bagel

See all rhymes for bagel →

Frequently asked questions

What does “bagel” mean?

The word “bagel” means a dense, ring-shaped bread roll that's boiled briefly before being baked. In plain terms, a chewy, ring-shaped bread, or in tennis slang, a set won without the loser scoring a single game.

How do you pronounce “bagel”?

“Bagel” is pronounced BAY-guhl (/ˈbeɪ̯.ɡəl/ in IPA).

How do you use “bagel” in a sentence?

Here is “bagel” used in a sentence: “He toasted a bagel and spread cream cheese on it for breakfast.”

What part of speech is “bagel”?

“Bagel” is a noun.

Where does the word “bagel” come from?

The word “bagel” comes from German. Borrowed from Yiddish beygl, ultimately traced back to a Middle High German word meaning "ring" or "bracelet," which describes the bread's distinctive round shape.

Is “bagel” a common word?

“Bagel” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “bagel” have?

“Bagel” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a dense, ring-shaped bread roll that's boiled briefly before being baked.

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