soybean

noun

soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˌbēn How to pronounce soybean (audio)
variants or chiefly British soya bean
: 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

Illustration of soybean

Examples of soybean in a Sentence

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.
The decline is due to decreases in the average sales price of soybean products and the quantity of soybeans processed. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024 The eight others are soybeans, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 The beetles really like eating Michigan's newest aphid pest, the soybean aphid. Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 2024 The debris field was approximately 1,800 feet long by approximately 300 feet at its widest point amid dense forest, cotton, and soybean fields. Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for soybean 

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soybean was in 1795

Dictionary Entries Near soybean

Cite this Entry

“Soybean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soybean. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

soybean

noun
soy·​bean ˈsȯi-ˈbēn How to pronounce soybean (audio)
-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 How to pronounce soybean (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on soybean

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