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

Everyone's takeout favorite, orange chicken, takes a turn for the fresh in this this recipe, which combines orange marmalade and soy sauce to make a sweet-and-salty dressing for chicken, cabbage, and crunchy ramen noodles. —Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 24 May 2026

Loaded with flavorful ingredients like ground chuck, soy sauce, and rice vinegar, this is a 20-minute supper your family won't soon forget. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 24 May 2026

Susie notes that many familiar foods fall into this category, including yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi; aged cheeses like cheddar, gouda and parmesan; as well as miso, tempeh, kombucha, soy sauce, authentic sourdough bread and certain pickles. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 23 May 2026

Unopened, soy sauce can be safe to have on stock for up to three years. —Arabella Hau, PEOPLE, 23 May 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