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

Last night at the Beverly Hills premiere, Paltrow stepped out in her long, strapless Gwyn gown. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, in San Fransisco, Regina Hall stepped out for the 2025 SFFILM Awards Night. —Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025

For those with a moment to step out of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, a different kind of capital is on display. —Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Dart raced down the sideline and likely could have stepped out of bounds a few yards earlier in order to avoid the hit. —Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 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