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

Use it over seared tofu or chicken breasts, or buttered white rice with a drizzle of soy sauce. — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026

Despite all that, workers stored soy sauce and cooking oil on the floor by the dishwashing area. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

Whisk in sugar, soy sauce, beef base, 1 cup of the water, and 3 tablespoons of the vinegar. — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, in small saucepan combine cider, maple syrup, Creole mustard, miso, soy sauce and sherry. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 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