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

Part of the land is leased out to grow corn, wheat and soybeans, and corn stalks taller than Fiona’s roof lined a grassy trail that Gravelle drove on with a Detroit Free Press reporter — part of the USA TODAY network — and photographer earlier this month. —Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025

In response to the threats, Brazil has courted other nations to diversify trade, while China has built a huge export terminal close to São Paulo in part to increase its purchases of Brazilian — rather than US — soybeans. —Semafor Staff, semafor.com, 22 Aug. 2025

The others are fish, crustacean shellfish, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat, and soybeans. —Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025

Crystal and Grant Norwood run a 3,000-acre farm growing corn, wheat and soybeans in Mansfield, Tennessee in rural Henry County. —Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 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