level up

verb

leveled up or levelled up; leveling up or levelling up; levels up

transitive + intransitive

: to advance or improve (oneself, someone else, or something) in or as if in a game

Collect cards and magic potions, then level up your favourite dragons to increase their abilities.

—Animation Xpress

Staying competitive comes down to many factors, but one that's often overlooked, in my opinion, is the ongoing need to level up your marketing team.

—Sujan Patel

That [Kevin] Reilly has leveled up the brands of both networks is clear in their programming selections.

—Broadcasting and Cable

We provide nurses with the tools they need to level up their careers and their profession …

—News & Record (Greensboro, North Carolina)

Leveling up and finding new weapons, armor, or items give you plenty of incentive to keep slashing and button mashing away.

—Dan Hsu

Companies coax helpers to participate by offering points for useful answers, connecting total points to specific achievement levels, and encouraging users to level up, for even greater prestige.

—Paul McFedries

Examples of level up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Naturally, as the moon reaches its peak on May 12, tensions rise — the full moon in Scorpio could bring clarity to career matters, offering a significant breakthrough moment or opportunity to level up professionally. —Staff Author, People.com, 1 May 2025

Porziņģis saw Tatum deliver consistently throughout last season’s playoff run but believes his teammate has leveled up. —Jay King, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Who needs an off-brand Avengers, made up of peripheral characters given a chance to collectively level up? —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2025

Ford said its team set out to level up a two-door Bronco for low, slow, technical off-road obstacles. —Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for level up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup