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

Meanwhile, cook rosemary, garlic, butter and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling and fragrant, about 5 minutes; keep warm. —Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 26 Nov. 2025

Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the thyme, pomegranate juice and soy sauce, and continue to cook, whisking often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025

The subtle honeyed note of an Auslese, or late-harvest Riesling, can lend contrast to even the most robust and full-flavored of winter fare, fatty meats like pork chops, or Asian soups rich with umami and soy sauce, Kwon says. —Anna Lee C. Iijima, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Nov. 2025

Dead roaches were in a reach-in cooler, under a rice cooker, under rice inside a reach-in cooler, inside an ice machine and on top of a soy sauce container in the kitchen. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Nov. 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