Glucocorticoids affect the developing and mature cardiovascular system in profound and, at times, contradictory ways. The glucocorticoid receptor is ubiquitous in most cell types and conserved across species, highlighting its importance in development and homeostasis. Despite the fact that the glucocorticoid receptor is widely expressed, tissue-specific effects of glucocorticoids may have pronounced effects on whole organism phenotypes. Here we will review the interactions between glucocorticoids and the cardiovascular system.