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

By blending nostalgia with innovation, Monopoly App Banking proves that even the classics can level up. —Emily Glover, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025

Has any 2024 pop star leveled up this year as well as Tate McRae? —Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2025

Puka Nacua's first-down production Somehow, Nacua has leveled up again despite already being the league's most reliable chain mover — and he's produced some outrageous numbers thus far. —Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

So this month, surround yourself with people who inspire you to level up. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 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