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

The spat between Beijing and Washington over soybean purchases has highlighted the evolution of China’s domestic agriculture industry. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025

Caleb Ragland, president of the ASA and a farmer himself, estimated the aid package will be enough for only about one-quarter of soybean losses. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2025

That group includes Aaron Lehman, an Iowa farmer who grows corn, soybeans and other crops on his family's farm. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

And if farmers are unable to sell all their soybeans, the crop will remain stored for the next year, creating an oversupply that could drag prices down even further. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 Dec. 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