soy sauce

noun

variants or less commonly soy or chiefly British soya sauce

: a brown, salty liquid that is made by subjecting soybeans and roasted grain (such as wheat) to long fermentation in brine and is used especially in Asian cooking and as a condiment

At its most basic, soy sauce is a fermented liquid made from soybeans and wheat. Soybeans contribute a strong, pungent taste, while wheat lends sweetness.

—Lisa McManuse

My most recent kick has been Chinese. For more than a year now I've been stir-frying everything in ginger and garlic and adding soy sauce.

—Andrew A. Rooney

see shoyu

Examples of soy sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Women everywhere from China and the U.S. to Indonesia and Russia have broken many glass ceilings, thanks to everything from coal and collagen to software and soy sauce. —Grace Chung, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Dipped in soy sauce with a touch of wasabi brings such a great balance of savory umami with a punch of heat. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 June 2025

There could be lion’s mane mushrooms in miso, or grated cucumber with soy sauce and buckwheat seeds; grazing options include Sicilian green olives and Cetara anchovies (prices range from 4 to 18 euros for food, and 5 to 8 euros for a glass of wine). —Lily Radziemski, New York Times, 29 May 2025

In one case, a supposedly gluten-free pasta dish contained soy sauce, which is typically made with wheat. —Ashley Vega, People.com, 25 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for soy sauce

• across
• backcross
• crisscross
• lacrosse
• recross
• tomas
• albatross
• applesauce
• barabbas
• helios
• kshatriyas
• blas

Kids Definition

soy sauce

noun

: a brown sauce made from soybeans and used especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking