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

There’s unlikely to be much appetite in the country or elsewhere in the region for an overhaul – especially as China and Brazil are planning a railway corridor linking the country, and its exports like soybeans and iron ore, to the Peruvian port. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026

After having worked in shifts for hours to remove the soybeans, crews discovered the second man dead near the bottom of the bin. —Storey Wertheimer, NBC news, 29 Jan. 2026

The man told officials that another subject had been taking soybeans out of the grain bin and may have became trapped in the process. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026

But farmers have faced major headwinds during the past year that Trump has been in office, with the costs of growing corn and soybeans often higher than the price farmers received for their crops. —Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026

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