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

Eco effort Sustainability is at the heart of the 1 Hotels brand, and this comes across in almost every aspect of the hotel from responsibly sourced and reclaimed building materials to the design to the in-room amenities (right down to the soy ink in the pens). —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026

In Rick Chipman's fields in Harlan, Iowa, young soy plants are starting to emerge. —Lana Zak, CBS News, 17 May 2026

Those trials examined the effectiveness of different types of protein (whey, milk, casein, collagen, meat, soy, rice, oat, and dietary protein) in combination with and separate from physical exercise (resistance training, aerobic exercise, and multicomponent training). —Malissa Rodenburg, Health, 15 May 2026

The ginger-soy dressing ties it all together. —Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Japanese shōyu

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing soy

• soy boy
• 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