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

Cook, stirring, until pork is crisp and mixture is very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine or sherry, soy sauce and chili crisp, and return asparagus to skillet. —Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2025

Yun Hai, a specialty food shop in New York City, buys directly from rice farms, soy sauce breweries and mills in Taiwan, then ships the goods over in bulk, supplying grocery stores and restaurants across the country. —Kim Severson, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025

Copeland broils her fish in a homemade marinade of brown sugar, orange juice, soy sauce and white wine vinegar, pairing it with sweet potato mash on the side. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 8 May 2025

Choosing sodium-free options: Many high-sodium foods, such as soy sauce, have low-sodium options. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 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