Meaning & use
on steroids
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalhumorous
Used after a noun to say that something is an intensified, bigger or more powerful version of the usual thing.
Grammar: Comes right after the noun it describes: a garden on steroids.
Patterns
- something on steroids
Their annual street party is a block party on steroids, with a live band and fireworks.
The new phone is a camera on steroids.
It was a traffic jam on steroids, with cars stuck for hours.
Common combinations
- a fair on steroids
- The expo was a village fair on steroids.
- Monday on steroids
- After a long weekend, the office felt like Monday on steroids.
- a pizza on steroids
- This giant pizza is a pizza on steroids.
- cardio on steroids
- The new class is cardio on steroids.
- spreadsheet on steroids
- The tool is a spreadsheet on steroids.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supersized
- Supersized only means much larger, while on steroids suggests a bigger and stronger and more intense version.
- turbocharged
- Turbocharged suggests extra power or speed, and sounds more positive than on steroids.
- extreme
- Extreme is a plain adjective, whereas on steroids is a vivid informal phrase placed after a noun.
- supercharged
- Supercharged is closer in meaning but feels more like advertising language.
Opposites
Word family
- steroid noun
- a type of drug that changes body processes or builds muscle
- steroids noun
- the plural, often meaning illegal muscle drugs
- steroidal adjective
- relating to steroids
Commonly confused: on steroids or on the steroids?
on steroids vs on the steroids
The phrase has no article; saying on the steroids is incorrect and changes the idiom.
Practice
What does 'This game is Tetris on steroids' suggest?
Choose one answer.
On steroids means a bigger or more extreme version. The other options suggest less intensity or a different quality.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “on steroids”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.