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 April, The New York Times reported that 23 Chinese swimmers on the country’s women’s team tested positive for the same powerful performance-enhancing drug months before the Tokyo Olympics. —Marisa Guthrie, WWD, 14 June 2024

In 2002, the Salt Lake City Olympics came to a close, the same day Canada won its first hockey gold in 50 years and three cross-country skiers were thrown out of the games for using a performance-enhancing drug. —The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024

The quarterback is set to miss the first two games of next season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2024

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramírez again lagged, hurt by suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. —Ronald Blum, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above