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

All eyes were on how the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies would sort out their differences on a range of topics from soybeans and fentanyl to rare earth minerals and high-end computer chips. —Chris Lau, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025

As part of the trade truce, Washington lowered tariffs in exchange for China freeing up rare earth export controls and buying more US soybeans. —Semafor Events, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Trump has also pressured countries into removing trade barriers that range from taxes on American beef and soybeans to car safety and local content requirements in Japan and Indonesia, according to the New York Times. —Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025

Such volume would return Chinese soybean purchases to annual levels recorded prior to recent trade tensions. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 31 Oct. 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