soy sauce

noun

variants or less commonly soy or chiefly British soya sauce

: a brown, salty liquid that is made by subjecting soybeans and roasted grain (such as wheat) to long fermentation in brine and is used especially in Asian cooking and as a condiment

At its most basic, soy sauce is a fermented liquid made from soybeans and wheat. Soybeans contribute a strong, pungent taste, while wheat lends sweetness.

—Lisa McManuse

My most recent kick has been Chinese. For more than a year now I've been stir-frying everything in ginger and garlic and adding soy sauce.

—Andrew A. Rooney

see shoyu

Examples of soy sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chef Steve Stallard is the man behind a line of bourbon barrel-aged sauces, vinegars, maple syrup and soy sauce. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 15 Dec. 2024

Put it into a saucepan, then add the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, garlic and ginger. —The Week Uk, theweek, 7 Dec. 2024

One popular recipe involves mixing flour with coconut milk, vegetable stock, soy sauce, salt and pepper. —Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2024

One of Noko Nashville's signature dishes is the Blue Fin Tuna Crudo, a Chef's cut of tuna made with Wakame, truffle mustard soy sauce, pickled wasabi and crispy onion. —Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

soy sauce

noun

: a brown sauce made from soybeans and used especially in Chinese and Japanese cooking