: 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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Pretzels and Hummus For a larger snack eaten more than an hour before your workout, pretzels with hummus can work well.
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Lindsey Desoto, Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Milwaukee Pretzel Company workers twisted hundreds of dough logs into pretzels, baked them in the oven, then placed the trays in front of industrial-size cooling fans.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The menu features pretzels, German beers, hearty sausage platters, and spaetzle.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2026
Patrick Murray, a USC alumnus and former Fulbright scholar, studied opera in Vienna and now offers live performance alongside sausages and pretzels at his new stall, Franzl’s Franks.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
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Lindsey Desoto, Health, 28 Jan. 2026
Milwaukee Pretzel Company workers twisted hundreds of dough logs into pretzels, baked them in the oven, then placed the trays in front of industrial-size cooling fans.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The menu features pretzels, German beers, hearty sausage platters, and spaetzle.
—Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2026
Patrick Murray, a USC alumnus and former Fulbright scholar, studied opera in Vienna and now offers live performance alongside sausages and pretzels at his new stall, Franzl’s Franks.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pretzel
Cite this Entry
“Pretzel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretzel. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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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