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.
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
Sean GregoryRoger 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
The New York TimesExamples of performance-enhancing drug in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then-commissioner Bud Selig and Manfred established the DOI in 2008 on a recommendation made the prior year in the Mitchell Report, an investigation into performance-enhancing drugs in baseball that the league hired former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell of Maine to conduct.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 June 2025
And indeed, virtually all performance-enhancing drugs are associated with health risks, and that hasn’t harmed their popularity.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 2 June 2025
Worse, he was suspended for 80 games from 2022 to 2023 for using performance-enhancing drugs.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025
The left fielder got $42 million guaranteed from the Braves, only to be suspended for 80 games due to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for performance-enhancing drug
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Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 June 2025
And indeed, virtually all performance-enhancing drugs are associated with health risks, and that hasn’t harmed their popularity.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 2 June 2025
Worse, he was suspended for 80 games from 2022 to 2023 for using performance-enhancing drugs.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025
The left fielder got $42 million guaranteed from the Braves, only to be suspended for 80 games due to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for performance-enhancing drug
Cite this Entry
“Performance-enhancing drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performance-enhancing%20drug. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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