soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˌbēn 

variants or chiefly British soya bean

ˈsȯi-ə- 

: a hairy annual Asian legume (Glycine max) widely grown for its oil-rich proteinaceous seeds and for forage and soil improvement

also : its seed

Illustration of soybean

Examples of soybean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The site declares that beans reign supreme in blue zones and stand at the heart of longevity eating everywhere, pointing to black beans in Nicoya, lentils and garbanzo and white beans across the Mediterranean, and soybeans in Okinawa. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

Three off-grid glampsites—a yurt, a platform tent, and a tiny cabin—comprise the property, generously spaced across 210 acres overlooking a fishing pond or vast corn and soybean fields. — Tree Meinch, Midwest Living, 11 July 2026

And that's because federal crop insurance programs are designed to insure single crops with one growing season, like corn, soybean and wheat, said Duncan Orlander, a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. — ABC News, 8 July 2026

Plants including corn, soybeans, wheat and tomatoes form intimate and mutually beneficial relationships with these soil-dwelling microbes. — Esther Ndumi Ngumbi, The Conversation, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing soybean

• soybean oil

Rhymes for soybean

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between
• bromine

Kids Definition

soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˈbēn 

-ˌbēn

: a hairy annual Asian plant of the legume family widely grown for its edible seeds rich in oil and proteins, as food for livestock, and for soil improvement

also : its seed

Medical Definition

soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˌbēn 

variants also soya bean

: a hairy annual Asian legume (Glycine max) grown for its oil-rich proteinaceous seeds and for forage and soil improvement

also : its seed