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

China is the world’s largest buyer of soybeans. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed approving another pesticide containing forever chemicals for use on crops such as canola, corn, soybeans, and wheat, a move that has sparked significant concern among environmentalists and experts. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

It’s made by steaming soybeans and then fermenting them with beneficial bacteria. —Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 14 Nov. 2025

Beans and Legumes Beans and legumes—including black beans, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans—are high in fiber and complex sugars that your body has difficulty breaking down and absorbing. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 13 Nov. 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