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

He was originally charged with Level 5 felonies — one level up. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

But by the end of it, their innocent flirting has leveled up to a full-on make-out session in a shed. —EW.com, 11 May 2025

Amazon has always been a go-to destination for travel gear, everyday essentials, stylish apparel, and even food, but now it’s leveled up with a foray into a new category: homes. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2025

Multi-Level Decks Have an existing deck, but want to level up? —Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 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