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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

Still, the thick pillars and huge arches remain fully visible at eye level, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The move came after the interest rate on 30-year bonds, which are a type of debt used to raise funds from investors, hit 5.34% on Tuesday - the highest level in almost 20 years.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

“I feel very fulfilled with the 15 years that I’ve been able to play and compete at such a high level and I am proud to say that I’m retiring from the WNBA,” Ogwumike said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

This does not mean organoids have memories like we tend to think of them -- such as recalling something from childhood -- but simply that their past is "engraved" on a cellular level, Arlotta emphasised.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Then, suddenly, the crest of the wave was past, and the water level fell.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Advocates of the system say it protects graduates from the extreme levels of debt seen among some U.S. students.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

This gauge measures factors like hedge-fund positioning, cash levels among portfolio managers, money flows into stocks versus bonds and credit-market technicals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Low oxygen levels are common inside many solid tumors, including pancreatic tumors, while healthy tissues generally contain more oxygen and are therefore less suitable for the bacteria.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

A June 2024 survey by Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which tracks American Catholic life, showed that 43% of respondents supported lower levels of immigration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

At the end of its own cul-de-sac, it was a large modern house of the “architectural” sort, bleached cedar, its split levels and asymmetrical terraces self-consciously bare.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

The motion, Jackson noted, relied heavily on the observations of the officers against whom Flores had leveled claims — and who were under internal investigation by the LAPD.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Castro’s case was the second time local prosecutors have leveled criminal charges against federal officers for their conduct in the city this winter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

The same accusation was leveled at Anthropic when it held back the public release of its powerful Mythos model over cybersecurity concerns.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

However, this “hydraulic theory” of state formation is subject to the same objections leveled against social contract theories in general.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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

That might be done by filling it with debris from hospital construction and graded earth or by leveling it with parking structures that would support an elevated ground floor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

“And to now be at a place where we’re leveling off and starting to tick up a little bit, it gives me goosebumps.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

“There’s the next mile champion,” he said, leveling his eyes across the room.

From "Unbroken" 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

Bailey Cadamarteri ran through on goal and slotted in to put Wrexham back in front before Leeds again levelled when Longstaff scored with a right-footed shot.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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

Then they remembered themselves and levelled their pi/a.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

She was helped by Izzy Gaze, who made 68 from 48 balls, as the Kiwis made 350-8 in reaching their target with two balls to spare and levelling the series.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

Following an agreement by this forum, new vehicles are meant to have mandatory automatic headlight levelling by September 2027.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 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

To level these cunningly devised cellular structures, occasionally, would prove far more costly than levelling the ground of timber.

From Australian Pictures Drawn with Pen and Pencil by Howard Willoughby

Related Words

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