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soy sauce

American  
[soi saws] / ˈsɔɪ ˌsɔs /
especially British, soya sauce

noun

  • soy sauces
    plural
  1. a salty, fermented sauce prepared from soybeans, used in East Asian cuisine.


soy sauce British  
/ sɔɪ /

noun

  1. Also called: soya sauce. a salty dark brown sauce made from fermented soya beans, used esp in Japanese and Chinese cookery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of soy sauce

First recorded in 1785–95


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In 1767, Bowen received a British patent for his method of producing soy sauce, a fermented condiment resembling the soy sauce already imported from Asia.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Both Sakai and Tsugawa highlight the punch of wasabi and the salty complexity of soy sauce as complements to Wagyu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

For this cold noodle dish from Gu Grocery, blend toasted sesame seeds with soy sauce, rice vinegar, pickled mustard greens, and orange zest and juice for maximum flavor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tablespoon of chicken stock or water, cover the pan and cook.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Connor dumps soy sauce over his rice with a splash.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

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