step out

verb

stepped out; stepping out; steps out

intransitive verb

1

: to go away from a place usually for a short distance and for a short time

2

: to go or march at a vigorous or increased pace

3

: die

4

: to lead an active social life

5

: to be unfaithful

—usually used with on

had been stepping out on his wife

Synonyms

• cheat
• screw around
• play (around)

Examples of step out in a Sentence

if she catches him stepping out on her, she'll divorce him without a moment's hesitation

my greedy relatives are only being nice to me because they expect me to step out any time now

Recent Examples on the Web

During a board meeting, Fitzgerald briefly stepped out — allegedly to use the restroom — and the board voted to name the ship after him. —Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025

The two recently stepped out for the CFDA Fashion Awards in Manhattan, looking lovely. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2025

The rapper and Diggs first went public with their romance earlier this year, stepping out together on Valentine’s Day. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025

Then one, two, three of them step out from the arboreal shadows, into a clearing in the valley. —Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for step out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

step out

verb

: to go away from a place usually for a short distance and for a short time