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

Turns out, the star had on a $130 pair of Mary Jane sneakers from Salomon, a brand that Hilary Duff also recently stepped out in. —Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026

Five guys armed with automatic weapons ask him to step out of his truck. —Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 9 May 2026

The line had swelled into a throng, which broke into a collective squeal as stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya stepped out of a van to greet the crowd. —Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026

All of have recently stepped out in two-tone jeans, offering perfect inspo on how to style this trend in the process. —Sydney Pulaski, Glamour, 8 May 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