1
as in screwing around
to be sexually unfaithful
if she catches him stepping out on her, she'll divorce him without a moment's hesitation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in dying
to stop living
my greedy relatives are only being nice to me because they expect me to step out any time now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mixing
to take part in social activities
waited until a year after her husband's death before stepping out again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stepping out
In off-road environments, stepping out to scout ahead can be risky.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Cruz Beckham brought surrealist footwear codes to Paris Fashion Week on Friday, stepping out in JW Anderson’s frog loafers — a playful collaboration with Wellipets that fused PVC nostalgia with avant-garde design.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
And so, Stephanie is just, much like me, stepping out of the norm in her culture.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Days before stepping out to Wimbledon, Rodrigo, also 22, performed a headlining set at Glastonbury Festival on June 29, and Partridge watched from the wings.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Sure, Levy still has uncertain reservations about stepping out of his comfort zone, but that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying the luxury hotel reservations made for him, as well as his newfound appreciation for indelible adventures.
—Laura Manske, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Jones tried to make a hero play on the Chargers’ final third-down conversion, stepping out of his assignment and out of his containment lane to rush the passer.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Scoping out an area for gear, secrets, or just a good hiding spot from enemies can easily lead to stepping out of bounds and leaving the space entirely to an adjacent one.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
Bongiovi, 23, also kept his fashion laid-back, stepping out in a black T-shirt, baseball cap and khaki pants.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Cruz Beckham brought surrealist footwear codes to Paris Fashion Week on Friday, stepping out in JW Anderson’s frog loafers — a playful collaboration with Wellipets that fused PVC nostalgia with avant-garde design.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
And so, Stephanie is just, much like me, stepping out of the norm in her culture.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Days before stepping out to Wimbledon, Rodrigo, also 22, performed a headlining set at Glastonbury Festival on June 29, and Partridge watched from the wings.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Sure, Levy still has uncertain reservations about stepping out of his comfort zone, but that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying the luxury hotel reservations made for him, as well as his newfound appreciation for indelible adventures.
—Laura Manske, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Jones tried to make a hero play on the Chargers’ final third-down conversion, stepping out of his assignment and out of his containment lane to rush the passer.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Scoping out an area for gear, secrets, or just a good hiding spot from enemies can easily lead to stepping out of bounds and leaving the space entirely to an adjacent one.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
Bongiovi, 23, also kept his fashion laid-back, stepping out in a black T-shirt, baseball cap and khaki pants.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping out
Verb
-
What if some big musician is screwing around at sound check and sings one of [Spinal Tap’s] songs.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
-
Away from the ship, Barton was spending much of her time in a warehouse called Los Fosos, four long buildings housing hundreds of reconcentrados who were dying so quickly their graves went unnamed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
-
He was later sold to an amusement park in Mexico before starring in Free Willy, being released back into the ocean in 1998 before dying.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The color palette felt optimistic yet grounded, mixing natural hues with luminous accents.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The talk show featured O’Brien and sidekick Andy Richter mixing comedy sketches with interviews spanning entertainment, sports, politics and culture.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But things got particularly ugly in the most recent reunion episode, in which Adriana de Moura not only leaned on lesbophobic and biphobic rhetoric, but also claimed that Julia Lemigova (who is famously married to renowned TERF Martina Navratilova) has been cheating for years.—
James Factora,
Them.,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Then de Moura decided to drop a few bombshells of her own, accusing her former bestie of not just cheating with her but with two men.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Frankincense and resins open the composition, mingling with tonka and vanilla bean for a sensual, sophisticated, and addictive aroma that invites you to linger beside a boutique hotel’s flickering fireplace on a cold night.—
Michael Stefanov,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Known as the Passage of Commodus, the 180-foot corridor was built beneath the amphitheater to let emperors and VIP guests reach their seats in the imperial box without mingling with the crowds.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The hope for gold-producing nations like Ghana is to responsibly leverage this bountiful natural resource without falling prey to environmental degradation and civil strife.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Volatility returns to markets Wall Street’s fear gauge, the VIX, jumped 31% on Friday — its biggest one-day gain since April — before falling 12% on Monday.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Try going out into the woods with your binoculars and following unfamiliar sounds.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Why is At Home going out of business?—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes, after checking out of a game, Lillard would call Simons over from the end of the bench to explain his thought process about what had just happened on the court.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Like some other customers, Micah Fannin was checking out Dutch Bros for the first time.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepping out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20out. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share