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

Stir-Fried Tofu with Brown Rice and Vegetables: Sauté ½ block tofu, 1 zucchini, and 1 bell pepper in soy sauce. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2025

Add sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and white pepper. 5. —Yakir Levy, Oc Register, 2 Apr. 2025

Inspectors found raw beef stored on top of a soy sauce bucket in a walk-in cooler. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025

To prepare sauce, combine fresh chili pepper, balsamic vinegar, dry sherry, hoisin sauce and soy sauce into a bowl. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 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