soy

noun

ˈsȯi 

1

or chiefly British soya

ˈsȯi-ə 

: soybean

Products that contain isoflavones—and are commonly called phytoestrogens—come from plants and legumes (such as soy), and show promise for decreasing hot flashes and may improve cholesterol.

—Michelle P. Warren

Producing meat in this ever-more crowded world requires creating new pastures and planting more land for imported feeds, particularly soy, instead of relying on local grazing.

—The New York Times

—often used before another noun

soy milk

soy protein

a soy latte [=a latte made with soy milk]

2

: a food product made from or containing soy beans: such as

a

: soy sauce

Roy Choi, the Los Angeles restaurateur, advises sneaking a pat of butter and a splash of soy into instant ramen.

—Sam Sifton

b

: tofu, bean curd

In this narrow slice of a restaurant, house-made fried tofu in three flavors … draws crowds for good reason: The shop renders soy into cubes as light and fluffy as scrambled eggs.

—Washingtonian

Examples of soy in a Sentence

His book promotes the health benefits of soy.

The recipe calls for two tablespoons of soy.

Recent Examples on the Web

The first quarter of the menu is raw or nearly so (and heavily inspired by Ward’s many trips to Japan): sashimi slivers of that madai, hamachi and bluefin are enlivened with white soy, tama miso or simple fresh wasabi. —Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

The formula blends aloe, soy protein, and vitamin B5 to smooth frizz, add shine, and make detangling less of a fight. —Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 5 June 2025

Infant formula is a manufactured product, usually made from cow's milk or soy, that is intended to mimic human breast milk for children up to age 12 months. —Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025

The sushi menu includes the Chef Special (rice, soy sheets, avocado, sesame seeds, tuna, salmon and cucumber), Spicy Shrimp Roll (rice, seaweed, cucumbers, sesame seeds, spicy mayonnaise, shrimp, sriracha, jalapeno) and Mimi Roll (rice, sesame seeds, cream cheese, avocado, salmon and tuna). —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese shōyu

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing soy

• soy milk
• soy sauce

Rhymes for soy

• boy
• choy
• coy
• croy
• foy
• hoi
• hoy
• joy
• loy
• oy
• ploy
• toy

Kids Definition

soy

noun

ˈsȯi 

1

: soy sauce

2

: soybean