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.

---

bagel British  

/ ˈbeɪɡəl /

noun

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

---

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

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

Federer had beaten Nadal in four sets in the 2006 Wimbledon final - including a first-set bagel - and five sets 12 months later.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 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

Moose chomped down the bagel, wagging his tail.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

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

It had been forever since I had done it, but I felt like I was ready; plus, I was tired of eating burned bodega bagels.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds