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

But that was just weeks before Bessent flew to Malaysia to meet with Chinese counterparts and hash out the framework of a deal that crucially included a commitment to buy American soybeans. —Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025

Legumes and Pulses Legumes and pulses include beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, soybeans, peanuts, edamame, green beans, and fresh peas. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 19 Dec. 2025

Other contributors include leaks from industrial hydrogen production and nitrogen fixation tied to agriculture, particularly legume crops like soybeans. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Dec. 2025

The spat between Beijing and Washington over soybean purchases has highlighted the evolution of China’s domestic agriculture industry. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing soybean

• soybean oil

Rhymes for soybean

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

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