anabolic steroid

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of a group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of protein and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. Nonprescription sale of anabolic steroids was declared illegal in the United States in 1990.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun (Physiol., Chem.) any of a variety of synthetic derivatives or analogs of testosterone, which promote the increase of muscle mass and strength. The anabolic steroids are sometimes used by athletes to increase muscular strength so as to enhance their performance in competition. They have serious side effects, and the use of such compounds has been banned by many athletic regulatory committees.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun biochemistry A class of steroid hormones that promote growth of tissue.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun any of a group of synthetic steroid hormones used to stimulate muscle and bone growth; more than 100 have been developed and each requires a prescription to be used legally in the United States; sometimes used illicitly by athletes to increase their strength