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
• philander
• screw 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

Soto soaked it in, stepped out of the batter’s box and then tipped his helmet to the crowd who was not only booing him but also doing so while standing on their feet. —Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025

As white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney earlier this month, Ham and his fellow Loyola students sprinted to St. Peter’s Square to watch as Pope Leo XIV first stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025

Three men stepped out of the SUV and entered the store. —Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025

Angela Bassett scored major brownie points with her kids after stepping out for the 2025 Met Gala. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 15 May 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