steroid

noun

ste·​roid ˈster-ˌȯid 

also

ˈstir- 

plural steroids

: any of various compounds containing a 17-carbon 4-ring system and including the sterols and numerous hormones (such as anabolic steroids or corticosteroids) and glycosides

ACTH travels in the bloodstream to the adrenal cortex and causes the release of steroids.

—Lester Grinspoon et al.

asthma and COPD treated with synthetic steroids

often, specifically : anabolic steroid

an athlete taking/using steroids

a steroid user

Their … reporting triggered a national wake-up call about steroid use that led to congressional hearings, and, at long last, steroid testing in baseball.

—Rick Reilly

see also steroid hormone

steroid adjective

or steroidal

stə-ˈrȯi-dᵊl 

see also on steroids

Examples of steroid in a Sentence

He was accused of taking steroids.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their competition reignited interest in baseball, but both became tied to the sport's steroid scandal that tarnished their reputations and has kept them out of the Hall of Fame. —CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026

Kennedy has been encouraging the use of two drugs to treat measles — budesonide (an inhaled steroid) and clarithromycin (an oral antibiotic) — but there is no scientific evidence that either work, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. —Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026

Albeit coinciding with the steroids era and suspicions baseballs were juiced, a more accommodating home environment allowed the Royals to score the most runs in franchise history (879) in 2000. —Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2026

The 14 services that require prior authorization during this pilot include steroid injections for pain management and incontinence-control devices. —Grace MacKleby, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary sterol + -oid

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing steroid

• anabolic steroid
• steroid hormone

Rhymes for steroid

• alloyed
• android
• annoyed
• avoid
• centroid
• convoyed
• cuboid
• cycloid
• decoyed
• deployed
• dermoid
• destroyed

Kids Definition

steroid

noun

ste·​roid ˈstir-ˌȯid  ˈster- 

: any of various chemical compounds that include numerous hormones (as estrogen and testosterone) compare anabolic steroid

Medical Definition

steroid

noun

ste·​roid ˈsti(ə)r-ˌȯid 

also

ˈste(ə)r- 

: any of numerous natural or synthetic compounds containing a 17-carbon 4-ring system and including the sterols and various hormones and glycosides see anabolic steroid

steroid adjective

or steroidal

stə-ˈrȯid-ᵊl