: a brittle or chewy glazed usually salted slender bread often shaped like a loose knot
Examples of pretzel in a Sentence
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Davis' Pub is a favorite of Eastport locals who love its beers and jumbo pretzels topped with crab dip and melted Cheddar.
Boatyard Bar & Grill is often packed with locals and visitors seeking crabcakes or a weekend brunch.
—
Charles Babington, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Aaron Jones stumbled into the Bronx bodega and began flinging bags of potato chips and pretzels to the ground.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
Butterfly pea flower extract, which is already used to color most of the above, had its use expanded to color ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato chips, plain corn chips, tortilla chips and multigrain chips.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 May 2025
German food will be sold ranging from bratwurst, schnitzel, pretzels and sauerkraut to black forest cherry cake.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
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Charles Babington, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Aaron Jones stumbled into the Bronx bodega and began flinging bags of potato chips and pretzels to the ground.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
Butterfly pea flower extract, which is already used to color most of the above, had its use expanded to color ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato chips, plain corn chips, tortilla chips and multigrain chips.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 9 May 2025
German food will be sold ranging from bratwurst, schnitzel, pretzels and sauerkraut to black forest cherry cake.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretzel
Cite this Entry
“Pretzel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretzel. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pretzel
noun
pret·zel
ˈpret-səl 
: a brown cracker that is salted and usually hard and shaped like a loose knot
Etymology
from German Brezel "pretzel," derived from Latin brachiatus (adjective) "having branches like arms," from brachium, "arm" — related to brace entry 2
Word Origin
Pretzels were probably first made in the U.S. during the 19th century by immigrants from Germany. The English word pretzel comes from the German Brezel. The familiar knot-shaped pretzel has been known in Germanic countries for centuries. Its German name comes from the Latin brachiatus, which means "having branches like arms." The pretzel likely got its name because its knot shape looks something like a pair of folded arms.
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