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

The 2025 class represents genuine inclusivity and thoughtful design—from a breast pump that goes old school to level up its wearability, to world-class headphones that double as hearing aids and workout coaches. —Rachel Feltman, Popular Science, 25 Dec. 2025

AirEssentials Half Zip Looking to level up your loungewear? —Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2025

Psychologists Ali Mattu and Fallon Goodman shared tips with Life Kit on how to level up your small talk game and practice social courage. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025

After a couple of games with shaky hands, Franklin quietly leveled up across his past two games, catching 10 of his 11 targets for 151 yards. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 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