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

Developed by the late Silvio Horta and based on the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, Ugly Betty premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ran for four seasons until 2010. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025

Opt for soy or pea milk to get the most protein bang for your buck. —Audrey Bruno, SELF, 25 Sep. 2025

Fifth generation Hamilton County farmer Rodney Rulon not only grows thousands of acres of corn and soy but is now cultivating a new approach to protecting the White River. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025

Swathes of the world’s forests, including many that are ancient and endangered, have been transformed into grassland to raise livestock or grow cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber and soy. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 24 Sep. 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