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

Easier discussions will be held around tariffs and agricultural products like soybeans, while AI, autos, technology and e-commerce will feature on the agenda, said the official, who asked for anonymity to discuss private conversations. — Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026

Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer in southwest Virginia, grows soybeans, corn and wheat and raises beef cattle. — Michel Martin, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026

Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Corn and soybean growers reported that a single large combine harvester consumes roughly 200 gallons of diesel per day. — CNBC, 16 Sep. 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