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

The hospital has not been named but the Royal Free in north London has a high level isolation unit and is the primary national centre for high consequence infectious diseases.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The delisting is expected to come into effect once the acceptance period expires on Aug. 12, regardless of the level of acceptance, Kloeckner said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

At the undergraduate level, mental and social health programs are expected to fail at very low rates nationwide, according to HEA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In June, Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said that many of his organisation's 100 Northern Ireland members have told him the level of abuse staff face is a significant issue.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

He’s taller than me, so we’re at eye level now.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The German automaker said Wednesday that the collaboration would speed in-house development of levels 3 and 4 autonomous driving capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Although the number of people living on the streets went down the last two years, the levels are still higher than they were in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

They suffer from elevated nutrient levels, which can lead to the growth of algae, depriving fish and other aquatic life of oxygen.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

In crafting the replacement tariffs, administration officials have said they would devise levies at similar levels to the expiring levies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

My heartbeat quickened, my stress levels surpassing total destruction on the Richter scale.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Widespread technological access and the proliferation of artificial intelligence have leveled the playing field in a manner previously unseen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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

But the more remarkable feat is how he leveled up an inept franchise into a champion, step by step.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

Shell and Paramount’s lawyers fought back, demanding sanctions be leveled against Cipriani for an alleged overreach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

They drew closer, lances leveled as if each gleaming point sought its own target.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

The duo, known for fictional young adult content on YouTube, plans to keep leveling up their material while keeping it native to the internet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Though some of the decline may be leveling off, it’s unclear whether wage growth will be able to keep pace with inflation this year.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

The analysts said their research also showed that e-commerce adoption was leveling off.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026

That began to change in the 1920s, thanks to improvements in automatic doors, controls and leveling technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

But really, he was a hobby of Jack’s, living proof of some leveling principle he had pursued through the years.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Having fouled Florent Malouda for France's opener, the towering defender levelled with a thundering header from Andrea Pirlo's corner inside 20 minutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 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

Buildings were levelled by the earthquakes and there has been huge demand for aid supplies among those left homeless.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

In the city of Catia La Mar on Venezuela's coast, Yilsmaris Blanco stared in shock at the scenes of devastation early Thursday after powerful twin earthquakes levelled dozens of buildings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

The front of the new sand-pit was all levelled and made into a large sheltered garden, and new holes were dug in the southward face, back into the Hill, and they were lined with brick.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

And despite dominating possession, having 23 shots and levelling the game in the 68th minute, the Gunners never really looked like they would go onto win.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 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

Later he advertised that he made and sold "Surveying instruments—Telescopes, Sextants, Quadrants—and every article requisite for navigation, surveying, levelling, &c...."

From Early American Scientific Instruments and Their Makers by Bedini, Silvio A.

Related Words

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