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

Here, a quick hoisin and soy sauce becomes sticky and caramelized when sautéed with cubed chicken, bell peppers, and broccoli. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2025

The shrimp is lightly charred on the grill, after gaining a nice boost of flavor from a garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and rice vinegar marinade. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 28 June 2025

Try in place of any other vinegar in recipes that call for vinegar, salt, or soy sauce. —Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 26 June 2025

The dish is traditionally seasoned with a sweet, dark soy sauce and topped with green onions. —Yukari Sakamoto, AFAR Media, 12 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