soybean

American  

[soi-been] / ˈsɔɪˌbin /

especially British, soya bean

noun

1. a bushy Old World plant, Glycine max, of the legume family, cultivated globally, with greatest productivity in the United States, where it is grown chiefly for forage and soil improvement.

2. the seed of this plant, used for food, as a livestock feed, and for a variety of other commercial uses.

---

Etymology

Origin of soybean

First recorded in 1795–1805; soy + bean

Example Sentences

The strips were then fried in soybean oil heated to 180 degrees Celsius.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, soybean acreage is expected to rise 4% from last year to 84.7 million acres.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The war is hitting Midwest farmers just as they enter the planting season for crops such as wheat, corn and soybean, and need to apply vast quantities of fertilizer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

Among the country’s top cash crops, corn requires a lot of nitrogen fertilizer, while soybean plants fix their own nitrogen in the soil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

According to the handout, McNuggets also contain several completely synthetic ingredients, items that come not from a corn or soybean field but from a petroleum refinery or chemical plant.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan