soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˌbēn 

variants or chiefly British soya bean

ˈsȯi-ə- 

: a hairy annual Asian legume (Glycine max) widely grown for its oil-rich proteinaceous seeds and for forage and soil improvement

also : its seed

Illustration of soybean

Examples of soybean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

South Dakota Soybean Processors LLC continues to focus on its core business of processing soybeans into meal and oil, with its operations primarily located in South Dakota. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025

Firm Tofu The amount of calcium in tofu, which is made from soybeans, varies according to the brand and how it was prepared, so read the labels carefully. —Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 20 Mar. 2025

Brazil became the world’s largest soybean producer about five years ago after having already overtaken the United States as the world’s largest soybean exporter more than a decade ago. —Sal Gilbertie, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Some of the soybeans are processed into oil for biodiesel but most end up as hog feed. —Kirk Siegler, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing soybean

• soybean oil

Rhymes for soybean

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˈbēn 

-ˌbēn

: a hairy annual Asian plant of the legume family widely grown for its edible seeds rich in oil and proteins, as food for livestock, and for soil improvement

also : its seed

Medical Definition

soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˌbēn 

variants also soya bean

: a hairy annual Asian legume (Glycine max) grown for its oil-rich proteinaceous seeds and for forage and soil improvement

also : its seed