soy sauce

noun

variants or less commonly soy or chiefly British soya sauce

: a brown, salty liquid that is made by subjecting soybeans and roasted grain (such as wheat) to long fermentation in brine and is used especially in Asian cooking and as a condiment

At its most basic, soy sauce is a fermented liquid made from soybeans and wheat. Soybeans contribute a strong, pungent taste, while wheat lends sweetness.

—Lisa McManus

My most recent kick has been Chinese. For more than a year now I've been stir-frying everything in ginger and garlic and adding soy sauce.

—Andrew A. Rooney

see shoyu

Examples of soy sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The addition of mint, feta cheese, soy sauce, and Bourbon gives the salad an unexpected and flavorful burst. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 16 June 2026

Some families even bring their housekeepers, presumably to clean up all of the empty soy sauce packets. —Brendan Cosgrove, Fortune, 15 June 2026

But that buttery soft fish and sticky rice is often mixed with a rainbow of other flavors, from spicy wasabi to salty and savory soy sauce. —Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

This marinade has lots of little additions like soy sauce that really brings a savory umami flavor, plus mustard and honey and cumin, which gives a little bit of an earthy taste. —Hannah Agran, Midwest Living, 13 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for soy sauce

• across
• backcross
• crisscross
• lacrosse
• recross
• tomas
• albatross
• applesauce
• barabbas
• helios
• kshatriyas
• menelaus

Kids Definition

soy sauce

noun

: a brown sauce made from soybeans and used especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking