level-off

[ lev-uhl-awf, -of ]

/ ˈlɛv əlˈɔf, -ˈɒf /

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noun Aeronautics.

the maneuver of bringing an aircraft into a horizontal flying position after an ascent or descent.

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Origin of level-off

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase level off

Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If she got caught with a shank, they would up her custody level.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, the Air Force is so strapped for people that the ratio has dropped below even that reduced level.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
"Here's my authority, yuh blasted runt," he yelled, and jerked his six-shooter to a level with the policeman's breast.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Yet a child coming under the humanising influences of culture soon gets far away from the level of the savage.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The height of the tower from the level of the street is 105 feet, the slated towers over the lateral pediments being smaller.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
We were about nine hours of fair daylight traversing 160 miles of level or descending grade, with a light passenger train.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

level off

Move toward stability or consistency, as in Prices have leveled off. This idiom transfers a physical flattening to a figurative one. [Mid-1900s]