performance-enhancing drug

noun

: a substance (such as an anabolic steroid, human growth hormone, or erythropoietin) that is used illicitly to improve athletic performance

In the United States, more than 1 million elite and recreational athletes use performance-enhancing drugs for muscle building purposes.

—Josiah D. Rich et al.

…33 of the 48 major and minor league players suspended by baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs since the start of 2006 were pitchers.

—Sean Gregory

Roger Bannister, the first person to run a subpar four-minute mile, said today he thought that increased use of blood testing could help curb the use of performance-enhancing drugs by track and field athletes.

—The New York Times

—abbreviation PED

Examples of performance-enhancing drug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In January 2008, she was sentenced to six months in jail for check fraud and using performance-enhancing drugs. —Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

The former President has been bragging about his indifference to preparing for the evening, telling audiences that Biden has holed-up in a log cabin to rest up, is loaded up on performance-enhancing drugs, and getting favorable treatment already from debate moderators with CNN. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 26 June 2024

Several online users defended the young athlete, and many noted that there’s a stark difference between the use of steroids (a performance-enhancing drug) and weed. —Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 22 June 2024

One condition the Olympic Committee gave the city was to ask local authorities to reduce worries over federal investigations into Chinese swimmers accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above