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 McManuse

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

Make the sauce: In a small pot, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water, then whisk in the coconut milk, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the curry paste, and 1 cup of water. —Christine Wong, Saveur, 6 Aug. 2025

Put into a bowl with green onions, egg white, white pepper, soy sauce, salt and half of the breadcrumbs. —Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 18 July 2025

Then add in your chicken bouillon, serrano, cilantro, soy sauce, water and red pepper flakes. —Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025

Carrot ribbon salad is the viral way to eat veggies The viral carrot ribbon salad is made with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, green onions, grated garlic, soy sauce and chili crisp oil. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2025

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