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

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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

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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

Cereal prices fell 4.5% to their lowest level in a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

After Thursday’s decline, the SOX was valued at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13 — its lowest level since Jan. 23, 2019, when the index closed at 1,185.94, or 87% below Thursday’s close.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Anderson’s boyfriend would call it an optimal level of optimism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

King has had a strong start to the Premier League season, scoring two goals and making one assist, and has played at every youth level for England.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

I did not know that he had put into my hands the secret that would open far darker rooms than this—places where there was not, on a human level, anything to love at all.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Executives at the German medical-technology company signaled they expect the diagnostics business’s operations in China to stabilize at current levels of roughly 7% of the division’s revenue, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

But what if valuations are at their lowest in years, and at levels that had previously marked major market bottoms, even as fundamentals still appeared to be improving at a relatively fast rate?

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

The new findings suggest that including full-fat dairy in a balanced diet may help people meet these nutritional requirements without necessarily worsening cholesterol levels or markers associated with diabetes risk.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

Although air quality has improved in recent days to reach "moderate" levels of 104 on Friday, there are concerns that Diwali fireworks could trigger another spike.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 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

The good news is that Figure 1 also shows that the rate of delinquencies leveled off in the first two quarters of 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

It was unclear why the usage leveled off somewhat over time, Neprash said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

They have pleaded not guilty and denied the accusations through their attorneys, who declined to comment on the new allegations leveled in court Friday by prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Several years ago, China-based executives of Lysol maker Reckitt RKT 1.18%increase; up pointing triangle leveled with their boss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

They spent some time talking about her pregnancy, which was both boring and gross, before Etta leveled a no-nonsense gaze at the boy.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Gartner expects rising memory prices, the so-called “memflation” effect, to persist through 2027 before leveling off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Left-armer Marco Jansen took a superb 5-33 and Kagiso Rabada and Wiaan Mulder two wickets each as the Proteas roared back into the Test to give them a real shot at leveling the series.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

In a very real sense, the movement was about leveling the playing field, which is so dramatically tilted against victims that it makes justice nearly impossible to achieve.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

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

Scotty was leveling the legs of the tripod, and I jerked open the metal ammo case.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

There was also criticism levelled at Meghan in December 2025 when her father was in hospital in the Philippines, undergoing the amputation of his leg.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Everyone remembers the Aguero moment, but it was substitute Dzeko's header two minutes earlier that levelled the game.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

This same criticism has been levelled against Formula 1 on several previous occasions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

U.S. stocks rose and the broad S&P 500 hit a record high as artificial-intelligence bets regained upward momentum and oil futures levelled off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 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

He listed city and growth deals, and the former Conservative UK government's levelling up and shared prosperity fund projects, as examples.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

He came closest to levelling when he sped beyond the Brighton defence, but his shot was saved by Jason Steele.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Connecting Dots will cover four areas: devolution, health in all policies and creative health, the Creative Industries Sector Plan, and levelling up and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Brussels insists the measure is not targeted at China, nor any other country for that matter, but is about levelling the playing field.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

In spite of the general levelling which Greek culture and Roman government had made all over the Mediterranean world, the age-long influences of race and climate and cult were still at work.

From The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by T. R. (Terrot Reaveley) Glover

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