level up

See also: level-up

English

Etymology

From level +‎ up. The video game sense is a calque of Japanese レベルアップ (reberu appu) using the SOV word order. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

level up (third-person singular simple present levels up, present participle (US) leveling up or (UK) levelling up, simple past and past participle (US) leveled up or (UK) levelled up)

  1. (transitive, literal and figurative) To raise to the same level or status; to improve so as to make as good as others.
    Antonym: level down
    Coordinate terms: upgrade; ramp up
    Near-synonym: step up
    The government promises to level up the department.
  2. (UK, specific) To reduce economic and developmental inequalities across the United Kingdom.
    • 2020 February 4, Phillip Inman, “Set targets to 'level up' regions, says Industrial Strategy Council”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 October 2026:
      Boris Johnson should consider setting targets to level up the UK’s weakest regions to tackle widespread inequality, according to one of the government’s senior independent policy advisers.
    • 2020 December 2, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Sunak focuses on jobs, infrastructure and 'levelling up'”, in Rail, page 7:
      Labour's Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds hit back at Sunak and said that his failure to greenlight major projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail showed that government claims of levelling up the country were "not supported by the evidence".
  4. (roleplaying games, video games, ambitransitive) To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities, often by acquiring experience points in role-playing games.
    I leveled up after defeating the dragon.
    • 2003 December, “Fire Emblem”, in Nintendo Power, volume 174, Show Some Class, page 33:
      As your troops conquer the enemy, they'll earn experience and gain levels. Each time they level up, their stats will increase.
    • 2024 November 21, Nathan Warby, “What is Supervive? New MOBA gameplay, platforms, more”, in Dexerto‎[2], archived from the original on 5 August 2025:
      For example, there are still mobs to defeat, and doing so levels up your character and improves your gear.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

level up (plural level ups)

  1. Alternative form of level-up.
    • 1994 March 21, jaimison cranmer, “Final Fantasy 2”, in rec.games.video.nintendo‎[3] (Usenet):
      The best way to defeat Odin is to use lightning 3 on him. It will do major damage to him. If you don't have lightning 3 and don't want to wait around for level ups, just have the ninja dart the spoon.
    • 1995 February 6, Anthony Comberiate, “Help:FF3 Paladin”, in rec.games.video.nintendo‎[4] (Usenet):
      There are only 14 characters in the game that you can get and keep, people like Banon, Gen. Leo, Wedge, and Vicks are a different type of character; they can get experience and level ups, but they can't use Espers, and they're stuck with the weapons and relics they've got when you meet them.
    • 1996 February 4, [Vaevictus] <pcfrye@ix.netcom.com>, “World of Xeen”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg‎[5] (Usenet):
      the dragon cave is a good place for level ups and money but that[']s all.

Anagrams

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