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

One of such projects is the Ferrograo railway project, which would transport commodities including corn and soybeans nearly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) across the Amazon rainforest. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

Farmers who fear not being able to optimize their corn yields may decide to plant less corn or switch crops and plant soybeans, which need less fertilizer. —Aya S. Chacar, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026

Economics is the academic discipline covering topics such as the study of markets, monetary policy, aggregate demand, and why nations trade soybeans for semiconductors. —Gerald Bradshaw, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026

Biomass energy includes the burning of wood, human and animal waste, and agricultural crops for heat and electricity and the converting of such crops as corn and soybeans into liquid biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 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
• 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