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

The only non-active members of that group not in the Hall of Fame are Roger Clemens, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, and Curt Schilling, whose long history of bigoted and inflammatory remarks hurt his standing with voters over the years. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2025

However, Tatis then had a tumultuous 2022 season that included a motorcycle accident and a suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

Hanging over Rodriguez’s candidacy, of course, is his violation of MLB’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, which resulted in a season-long suspension in 2014 for his role in baseball’s Biogenesis scandal. —Peter Sblendorio, Sun Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2025

Participating athletes will be permitted to use performance-enhancing drugs. —Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for <span class="syl">performance<span class="sylbreak">-</span>enhancing drug</span>

• antidrug
• mealybug
• multidrug
• chug
• doug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• lug
• mug
• plug
• pug