ped

1 of 4

noun

ˈped 

: a natural soil aggregate

ped-

2 of 4

combining form

variants or pedo- or paed- or paedo-

: child

pediatric

: childhood

paedogenesis

PED

3 of 4

abbreviation or noun

ˌpē-ˌē-ˈdē 

plural PEDs

: performance-enhancing drug

PEDs can turn a marginal player into a major leaguer, and transform a marginal major leaguer into an All-Star.

—Dave DeLand

… has never tested positive for using PEDs, but is under investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency …

—Andre Williams

-ped

4 of 4

noun combining form

variants or -pede

: foot

maxilliped

Examples of ped in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Abbreviation or noun

While some of those numbers were perhaps inflated by PED use, there's no doubt that Ramírez was born to hit. —Shaun McAvoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

In 2022, that panel rejected both Clemens and Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time and single-season home run king, who has also been tarred with PED allegations. —Frederic J. Frommer, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2025

The Phillies used Banks in more important spots during José Alvarado’s 80-game PED suspension. —Jim Bowden, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

Like the Phillies, they were weakened by a key player — ex-Padre Jurickson Profar — being suspended 80 games for flunking a PED test. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025

Nicolle Newtown, the city’s PED director, emailed him back to say city staff would be on site from time to time. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 20 July 2025

Perhaps, Halep saw Sharapova retire in 2020 with praise and fanfare, facing few consequences for having admitted to taking a PED for her entire career, and thought, why not? —Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Greek pedon ground; akin to Latin ped-, pes foot — more at foot

Combining form

Greek paid-, paido-, from paid-, pais child, boy — more at few

Noun combining form

Latin ped-, pes

First Known Use

Noun

1951, in the meaning defined above

Abbreviation Or Noun

2001, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

PED

abbreviation or noun

ˌpē-ˌē-ˈdē 

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