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

Sweet, smoky, and savory, this side dish cooks in a sauce made of brown sugar, soy sauce, bacon, butter, and garlic. —Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026

Then comes the savory hoisin-soy sauce that slips into every little crevice. —Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2026

Customers can still get Bleu Bear dishes like the salmon sashimi wrapped around apple, or the yellowtail sashimi bathed in yuzu soy sauce. —Ella Gonzales march 13, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026

As does the dipping sauce called choganjang (vinegar soy sauce), which has many iterations. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 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
• blas

Kids Definition

soy sauce

noun

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