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

In recent months, Zuckerberg has been leveling up his norm-core look and experimenting with different styles. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024

Other members of The Bear’s staff leveled up their skills in season 2 as well. —EW.com, 15 June 2024

In response to an injury, these nerve cells not only sense inflammatory molecules, but also dial their circulating levels up and down to keep infections from harming healthy tissues. —Esther Landhuis, Quanta Magazine, 14 June 2024

Completing daily quests earns you stars, which also earns you XP, which is used to level up your Eejie. —PCMAG, 5 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above