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 Chinese delegation did not confirm the commitments to buy more planes or soybeans. —Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 15 May 2026

Beans and Boeing The White House hasn't released a detailed account of the agreements in writing, but Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News said China would be buying lots of soybeans and Boeing aircraft. —Jennifer Pak, NPR, 15 May 2026

Yet this is also a meeting of the world’s two most powerful presidents, so ever present amid the discussions of airplane and soybean purchases will be the fates of two other nations, Iran and Taiwan. —Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026

But traders and analysts told Reuters that China’s appetite for major new soybean commitments may be limited due to weak domestic demand and cheaper alternatives from Brazil. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 14 May 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