1
or chiefly British soya : soybean
Products that contain isoflavones—and are commonly called phytoestrogens—come from plants and legumes (such as soy), and show promise for decreasing hot flashes and may improve cholesterol.Michelle P. Warren
Producing meat in this ever-more crowded world requires creating new pastures and planting more land for imported feeds, particularly soy, instead of relying on local grazing.The New York Times
often used before another noun
soy milk
soy protein
a soy latte [=a latte made with soy milk]
2
: a food product made from or containing soy beans: such as
a
: soy sauce
Roy Choi, the Los Angeles restaurateur, advises sneaking a pat of butter and a splash of soy into instant ramen.Sam Sifton
b
: tofu, bean curd
In this narrow slice of a restaurant, house-made fried tofu in three flavors … draws crowds for good reason: The shop renders soy into cubes as light and fluffy as scrambled eggs.Washingtonian

Examples of soy in a Sentence

His book promotes the health benefits of soy. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of soy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This term refers to canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soy, rice bran, sunflower, and safflower oils. Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 17 Mar. 2025 It’s made from a premium soy wax blend for a clean burn. Ali Faccenda, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025 Here’s the kicker: The corn is popped in olive oil and made without gluten, soy, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, peanuts or tree nuts. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025 Trump raised flat tariffs on all Chinese imports to 20%, while Beijing countered with additional 15% duties on American imports including chicken, pork, soy and beef, and expanded controls on doing business with key U.S. companies. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for soy

Word History

Etymology

Japanese shōyu

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of soy was in 1696

Cite this Entry

“Soy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soy. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

soy

noun
1
2

More from Merriam-Webster on soy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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