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

Want to level up your photos of fall foliage? —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Enid also leveled up her wardrobe for season 2, as a part of finding herself before returning to Nevermore Academy for this year. —Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

From online courses and certifications to mentorship and stretch projects, there are more ways than ever to level up. —Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Most of these tweaks, while necessary, are invisible to people one level up, let alone the CEO. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 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