level

American  

[lev-uhl] / ˈlɛv əl /

adjective

1. having no part higher than another; having a flat or even surface.

   Synonyms:

   flush

   Antonyms:

   uneven

2. being in a plane parallel to the plane of the horizon; horizontal.

   Synonyms:

   flush

   Antonyms:

   vertical

3. equal, as one thing with another or two or more things with one another.

4. even, equable, or uniform.

5. filled to a height even with the rim of a container.

   a level teaspoon of salt.

6. mentally well-balanced; sensible; rational.

   to keep a level head in a crisis.

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noun

• levels
  plural

1. a device used for determining or adjusting something to a horizontal surface.

2. Surveying.

   1. Also called surveyor's level.  an instrument for observing levels, having a sighting device, usually telescopic, and capable of being made precisely horizontal.

   2. an observation made with this instrument.

   3. spirit level.

3. an imaginary line or surface everywhere at right angles to the plumb line.

4. the horizontal line or plane in which anything is situated, with regard to its elevation.

5. a horizontal position or condition.

6. an extent of land approximately horizontal and unbroken by irregularities.

7. a level or flat surface.

8. a position with respect to a given or specified height.

   The water rose to a level of 30 feet.

9. a position or plane in a graded scale of values; status; rank: They associated only with those on their own economic level.

   His acting was on the level of an amateur.

   They associated only with those on their own economic level.

10. an extent, measure, or degree of intensity, achievement, etc..

    a high level of sound; an average level of writing skill.

11. Linguistics. a major subdivision of linguistic structure, as phonology, morphology, or syntax, often viewed as hierarchically ordered.

12. Mining. the interconnected horizontal mine workings at a particular elevation or depth.

    There had been a cave-in on the 1,500-foot level.

13. (in a video game or role-playing game)

    1. a discrete section in game design or narrative that ends with a culminating event, as a boss battle.

    2. character level.

verb (used with object)

leveled, leveling, levelled, levelling

1. to make (a surface) level, even, or flat.

   to level ground before building.

   Synonyms:

   flatten, smooth

2. to raise or lower to a particular level or position; to make horizontal.

3. to bring (something) to the level of the ground; raze.

   They leveled the trees to make way for the new highway.

   Synonyms:

   destroy, demolish, raze

4. Informal. to knock down (a person).

   He leveled his opponent with one blow.

5. to make equal, as in status or condition.

   Synonyms:

   equalize

6. to make even or uniform, as coloring.

7. Historical Linguistics. (of the alternative forms of a paradigm) to reduce in number or regularize.

   Old English “him” (dative) and “hine” (accusative) have been leveled to Modern English “him.”

8. to aim or point (a weapon, criticism, etc.) at a mark or objective.

   He leveled his criticism at the college as a whole.

   Synonyms:

   direct

9. Surveying. to find the relative elevation of different points in (land), as with a level.

verb (used without object)

leveled, leveling, levelled, levelling

1. to bring things or persons to a common level.

2. to aim a weapon, criticism, etc., at a mark or objective.

3. Surveying.

   1. to take a level.

   2. to use a leveling instrument.

4. to speak truthfully and openly (often followed bywith ).

   You're not leveling with me about your trip to Chicago.

5. Obsolete. to direct the mind, purpose, etc., at something.

adverb

1. Obsolete. in a level, direct, or even way or line.

verb phrase

1. level off

   1. Aeronautics. to maintain a constant altitude after a climb or descent.

   2. to become stable; reach a constant or limit.

   3. to make even or smooth.

2. level up

   1. (in a video game or tabletop game) to obtain a higher character level or skill rank, or improve the quality or performance statistics of an object, as a weapon.

   2. to perform at a higher standard than expected, or show vast improvement: Your date is smokin’ hot—way to level up, bro!

      It’s possible for a small business to level up and land big clients.

      Your date is smokin’ hot—way to level up, bro!

idioms

1. on the level, honest; sincere; reliable.

   Is this information on the level?

2. one's level best, one's very best; one's utmost.

   We tried our level best to get here on time.

3. find one's (own) level, to attain the place or position merited by one's abilities or achievements.

   He finally found his level as one of the directors of the firm.

level British  

/ ˈlɛvəl /

adjective

1. on a horizontal plane

2. having a surface of completely equal height

3. being of the same height as something else

4. (of quantities to be measured, as in recipes) even with the top of the cup, spoon, etc

5. equal to or even with (something or someone else)

6. not having or showing inconsistency or irregularities

7. Also: level-headed.  even-tempered; steady

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verb

1. to make (a surface) horizontal, level, or even

2. to make (two or more people or things) equal, as in position or status

3. (tr) to raze to the ground

4. (tr) to knock (a person) down by or as if by a blow

5. (tr) to direct (a gaze, criticism, etc) emphatically at someone

6. informal to be straightforward and frank

7. (intr; foll by off or out) to manoeuvre an aircraft into a horizontal flight path after a dive, climb, or glide

8. (often foll by at) to aim (a weapon) horizontally

9. surveying to determine the elevation of a section of (land), sighting through a levelling instrument to a staff at successive pairs or points

noun

1. a horizontal datum line or plane

2. a device, such as a spirit level, for determining whether a surface is horizontal

3. a surveying instrument consisting basically of a telescope with a spirit level attached, used for measuring relative heights of land See Abney level dumpy level

4. a reading of the difference in elevation of two points taken with such an instrument

5. position or status in a scale of values

6. amount or degree of progress; stage

7. a specified vertical position; altitude

8. a horizontal line or plane with respect to which measurement of elevation is based

   sea level

9. a flat even surface or area of land

10. a horizontal passage or drift in a mine

11. any of the successive layers of material that have been deposited with the passage of time to build up and raise the height of the land surface

12. physics the ratio of the magnitude of a physical quantity to an arbitrary magnitude

    sound-pressure level

13. to make every possible effort; try one's utmost

14. to find one's most suitable place socially, professionally, etc

15. on the same horizontal plane as another

16. informal sincere, honest, or genuine

level More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing level

• do one's (level) best
• on the level

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Synonym Usage

Level, even, flat, smooth suggest a uniform surface without marked unevenness. That which is level is parallel to the horizon: a level surface; A billiard table must be level. Flat is applied to any plane surface free from marked irregularities: a flat roof. With reference to land or country, flat connotes lowness or unattractiveness; level does not suggest anything derogatory. That which is even is free from irregularities, though not necessarily level or plane: an even land surface with no hills. Smooth suggests a high degree of evenness in any surface, especially to the touch and sometimes to the sight: as smooth as silk.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• levelness
  noun
• unlevelness
  noun
• relevel
  verb
• antileveling
  adjective
• antilevelling
  adjective
• interlevel
  adjective
• nonlevel
  adjective
• self-leveling
  adjective
• self-levelling
  adjective
• underlevel
  adjective
• unlevel
  adjective
• unleveled
  adjective
• unlevelled
  adjective
• well-leveled
  adjective
• well-levelled
  adjective
• levelly
  adverb
• unlevelly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• levels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of level

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun, variant of livel, from Middle French, from unattested Vulgar Latin lībellum, for Latin lībella “plummet line, level,” diminutive of lībra “balance, scales”; the verb is derived from the noun

Explanation

A level is a position in a scale. Attaining a high level of unemployment is depressing, but getting to a high level on a video game is exciting. The verb level also means to flatten or destroy. For example, a mighty wind will level a grove of trees or a wrecking ball can level a building. As a noun, level notes the position of something on a scale of intensity. You feel a rising level of temperature as the sun gets higher in the sky. As an adjective, level describes something that is even and flat. A level path is easy to walk on.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

level levels leveled leveling levelled levelling

After Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Wednesday the Treasury would be doubling its buybacks of government bonds in the 10-30 year tenor, the gold price ripped 3% to the $4,550 an ounce level.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The cryptocurrency hadn’t traded above the $70,000 level since early June, but rallied after an upbeat White House crypto summit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

They do look like they are at a different level, squad-wise.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

As the water level at Lake Mead has plunged to a historic low, more human remains are emerging from the depths of the nation’s largest reservoir.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Because if I didn’t beat Elliot in this, he would go on to the next level of the Academy, and I’d be left behind, waiting for whatever awful future the letter forecasted to come true.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Along with her mother Karen, Ava-Grace monitors Paul's blood glucose levels, gives him medication and helps with dinner and jobs around the house.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

U.S. stocks rose after the government said it would buy back more longer-dated bonds, easing pressure on a market that had pushed borrowing costs to their highest levels in nearly two decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

High levels of TV production continues at Warner Bros. complex in Burbank and Paramount’s and CBS’ soundstages in Hollywood and Santa Clarita.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The latest readings of consumer inflation and the Fed's preferred gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, have shown an attenuation, but levels remain well above the two-percent target.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

They were linked together the same way an invisible web connected pollution to wildfires, wildfires to melting ice caps, melting ice caps to rising sea levels, rising sea levels to storm surges.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Public prosecutors in America's second biggest city, unhappy about the result, leveled new charges: destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

As the interactions grew stronger, collision-driven resistivity eventually leveled off instead of continuing to rise.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

US actor and singer Jared Leto on Wednesday denied allegations of sexual assault and harassment leveled against him by ten women in a new documentary aired by the BBC.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Now, after an offseason with a new diet and training program, he may have leveled up that part of his game — even at 35 years old.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

To develop your economy, you leveled your forests and carpeted the land with strip malls.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

In Germany, the Bundestag expanded from 598 seats to 736 seats in 2021 because the number of leveling seats needed to preserve proportionality continued to rise.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

But now, more states are leveling the playing field.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

“I’m hoping we’re going to continue up leveling it for the next decade or so.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

A solution ex machina prevented it from closing, but instead of maintaining the status quo, everybody committed to leveling it up to a Michelin star-worthy bistro.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

He revolutionized Pimlico, installing a public-address system and a modern starting gate and leveling out the large hill in the infield that had given the track its nickname—“Old Hilltop”—but obstructed the view of the races.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

The Producer Price Index was unchanged in July from June levels, suggesting that factory-gate inflation levelled off before the latest uptick in oil futures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The 35-year-old Englishman has often been accused of not showing enough killer instinct in the key moments of majors - and that could be levelled at him again this week.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The US has also levelled murder charges against Cuba's former president, Raúl Castro, who remains an influential figure on the island despite being 95 years old.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

IIssa Diop had levelled in stoppage time to force extra time before the north Africans went on to win the shootout.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Now Mama, who had stood by accepting their shrugs for answers, levelled her gaze at each of them.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

And despite being down to 10 men, they rallied to lead 3-0, levelling the tie at 5-5 to force extra time until goals from Victor Osimhen and Yilmaz sealed a 7-5 Galatasaray success on aggregate.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

These British players are the world's top-ranked rink for a reason though, and they slowly reeled in Italy, levelling in the ninth end.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

In recent months, large bulldozers have been spotted levelling former green belts and wooded areas, including near major highways.

From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026

With the score at 3-1 to the world champion, Humphries rallied with 10 and 13-dart legs on his way to levelling the match.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026

George and Mary! here's levelling, here's abolition of title with a vengeance!

From Wild Oats or, The Strolling Gentlemen by Anonymous

Related Words

• bulldoze
• devastate
• drop
• equalize
• fell
• flatten
• raze
• ruin
• wreck