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 of step out

• 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

If someone had touched that ball a moment prior (and after having stepped out of bounds), this play would’ve ended with a second remaining, but as of that screenshot, nobody has touched the ball. — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Styles, who kicked off an extensive 30-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden last month as part of his international Together, Together tour, was spotted stepping out in black, low-profile leather loafers. — Mariana Best, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Bum-seok, Sung-ae, and Sung-ki do find a shambolic Hawksian unity, after a fashion; Sung-ae, in particular, has only to step out of a car with a military-grade rifle to elicit spontaneous applause. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

After the Mercedes swung around and law enforcement vehicles surrounded it, the driver stepped out with his hands up — only to swiftly step back inside. — Jenny Jarvie follow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

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