step out
Britishverb
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to go outside or leave a room, building, etc, esp briefly
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to begin to walk more quickly and take longer strides
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informal to withdraw from involvement; bow out
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informal to be a boyfriend or girlfriend (of someone), esp publicly
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Walk briskly, as in He stepped out in time to the music . [c. 1800]
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Also, step outside . Go outside briefly, as in He just stepped out for a cigarette . [First half of 1500s]
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Go out for an evening of entertainment, as in They're stepping out again tonight .
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step out with . Accompany or consort with a person as when going on a date, as in She's been stepping out with him for a month . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As such, he’s a step out of sync with contemporary kids’ filmmakers who tend to chase trends or resurrect the retro toys of their own youth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Other luminaries, such as the educational reformer Emily Davies and the suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst, actually step out from the background chatter to become major players.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The first step out of the doghouse was launching basic and free cloud services that worked and enhanced the user experience.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
The banter became raucous enough that a staffer had to step out into the hall and tell them to quiet down.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
Here’s the funny part: I never step out of the lab for long enough to get any kind of sunlight.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
